Recovering Hearts
by Queberjeque
Summary: Ranma/Robotech Crossover. A betrayal, changes the status quo forever. Starts out kinda dark, but gets lighter well, light for the Robotech universe .
1. The Price of Vengeance

Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma or Robotech, all of the associated characters belong to their owners. This is a rewrite with minor changes of the original Recovering Hearts.

09/08/2009

**Recovering Hearts**

A Ranma½ / Robotech crossover.

By Queberjeque

The ++++++++ denote flashbacks.

Chapter 1

'**The Price of Vengeance'**

Nabiki was tired. No, actually that was not quite correct, she was utterly exhausted. The past three weeks were a blur in her mind as she struggled to stay awake, she knew that she had to complete this last transaction, and then she could finally rest.

Even the act of selling a collection of gemstones the other day had not brought a smile to her face like it would have a few months ago. The resulting small fortune was now merely a tool for survival, instead of her goal in life.

Shaking the mental cobwebs out of her head, Nabiki forced her attention back onto her contact.

"Here are your tickets Tendo-san; I trust you understand how hard these were to obtain…" The speaker was a short man in a dark suit, his blond hair peeking out from under his hat.

"Thank you Takagushi-san, consider your debts to me paid, I really appreciate the how promptly you were able to get these for me." Nabiki tiredly replied. "If anyone asks, you never saw me, understand?"

"My eyesight has been bothering me lately." Takagushi smirked. "I wish you a pleasant journey, now I must be going before I am missed."

He hurried off before she could reply. Slowly nodding her head, Nabiki turned and walked over to a small restaurant advertising fresh tuna. Entering it, she sat at a booth occupied by a young man with a pigtail. He looked almost as worn down as she did.

"Did ya get what you wanted?" Ranma asked. "Although I still don't know if I like your idea. We've been using the Saotome Secret Technique too much lately, and I definitely do not like running from a fight."

Nabiki over at him, at the rips and tears in his shirt, and sighed. "Do you really want to fight dozens of women bent on killing you? Could you even bring yourself to hit them enough to keep them down?"

With a sigh, she added in a lower voice. "I know what you mean, but as long as they are out for your blood, we have to keep moving. Even without Kho Lon to lead them, the Joketsuzoku are a dangerous enemy."

Nabiki looked out the window. "Besides, even if we end up being hunted for the rest of our lives, it was worth it." She didn't see the street outside; instead all she saw was the image of the scene that she had come home to nearly a month ago.

Her father and Ranma's had taken him out in order to talk to him about how happy they were about how well him and Akane had been getting along lately. Kasumi was shopping, and she had been at a meeting with some of her associates, regarding what seemed now to be a completely inconsequential subject. That had left Akane alone.

Nabiki felt the tears start to roll down her face once again, and she quickly brushed them away. Pushing aside her emotions, struggling to keep from curling up into a huddle lump and crying for someone to come and take the pain away. She was Nabiki. She was in control. She was ice. There was no way she would break down again, especially not now, not here.

What nobody had realized was that Kho Lon and Xian Pu had been getting extremely impatient with Ranma's disregard for their laws. The elder had finally decided to take matters into her own hands and cut her losses, the boy was growing too close to Akane to suit her.

Nabiki had run into Kasumi on the way home and they arrived at the gate just in time to witness the two Chinese leaving the property via the rooftops. The sisters had continued inside until they noticed their youngest sister lying on the floor face down. Kasumi had rushed over to her while Nabiki hurried to the phone to call Dr. Tofu. Nabiki heard a shriek and turned in time to see Kasumi fall backwards in a faint. Telling the doctor to hurry, Nabiki remembered going over to where her sisters lay and seeing the way Akane's head angled away from her body. She recalled reaching down to touch Akane's cheek, feeling a dizzying sensation and then blackness.

Nabiki blinked away another batch of tears and looked across the booth, her 'partner' in revenge had his head resting on the table, but his bloodshot eyes still roved over the area. His posture appeared to be relaxed, however, after what she had seen recently, Nabiki knew that for the lie it was. She had seen several times, how he could move with explosive power to dodge a descending sword, or carry her away from the path of a fight of arrows. Glancing down at her watch, she stared in shock, she had been sitting there for over an hour!

"Ranma!" His eyes locked onto hers. "We have to move quickly, the ship leaves in just under an hour." He nodded and stood. Nabiki handed him a ticket. "Here, this one is yours." Ranma finished tucking it away as they stepped outside.

"DIE!!!!!"

She felt herself propelled through the air, courtesy of Ranma's hand, and barely managed to retain enough wits to roll with her landing. Picking herself up off of the ground she looked back to see a group of blade-wielding women surrounding Ranma. She didn't know what to do, she was no match for even the smallest of their attackers, and the only reason that she wasn't already cut in half was because their enemies had learned not to divide their attention from Ranma.

Glancing over to where she was at, Ranma yelled. "Run! Don't stop until you get to the ship, I'll meet you there!"

Not even hesitating, Nabiki put his advice into use. Sprinting down the sidewalk, she ran to the next corner and turned, in order to cut off the sight of her retreat from those who would pursue her. Five blocks later she was stumbling along, unable to maintain more than an uneven shamble in her current condition. Rounding a corner her eyes took in a wonderful sight, a taxi parked at a newsstand. She found enough energy left over to break into an unsteady lope up to the door of the cab. After telling the destination to the driver, Nabiki turned around and looked through the rear window. She gasped as she saw a tornado reaching into the skies. Slumping down into the seat, a relieved smile made its way onto her face.

Fifteen minutes later that smile was nowhere to be seen. The ride had given her a chance to get her breath back, and fix her appearance enough not to raise too many eyebrows as she boarded the ship, but a few discreet inquires shot down any hopes of Ranma being already on board. Going over to the railing, she scanned the docks, watching for any sign of the pigtailed boy. When the ship's whistle blew to announce its imminent departure, she was so startled she nearly jumped. As she watched the gangway retract, she caught sight of a small redhead running towards the ship. Not even bothering to stop, the short figure jumped to the deck, landing a short distance from Nabiki. Hurrying over, she saw numerous cuts and bruises all over the young girl's body, a body that was trembling from exertion. Ranma looked up with a smirk that was a mere reflection of her previous attitude and whispered to Nabiki. "See, told ya I would meet you here."

With that her eyes rolled back, and her body fell like someone had cut the strings holding her up. Nabiki was barely able to catch the younger girl as she collapsed. Easing her to the deck she looked around and got the attention of a crewman to help carry her to their cabin. After the crewmember left, Nabiki crawled into her own bed, feeling the sway of the ship increase as it left Tokyo behind.

She awoke to the sun shining through the porthole across the room.

"Ugh, where am I and what time is it?"

Rolling over, she saw Ranma-chan sleeping in the other bed. "Oh yeah, the ship…" She relaxed slightly. This was the first time in a while that she didn't have some crisis to keep her from dwelling on what had happened.

_++++++++ Three weeks ago ++++++++ _

_A nearby noise startled her to awareness. _

_Opening one eye, she studied the ceiling above her, it was unfamiliar. _

_~uaagh~ _

_There was that noise again, turning her head to the side, she took in an unexpected sight, Ranma tossing and turning on a bed with restraints on his arms and legs. Opening her eyes fully, she took noticed Dr. Tofu sitting nearby._

_"Doctor, what happened, is Akane…?" Her voice cracked, failing her._

_Her family's doctor turned towards her. "I'm sorry…there was nothing I could do to save her. I…I'm so sorry, Nabiki."_

_For a moment she couldn't see, but she didn't care, there was nothing to see. Another moan finally caught her attention again. "What happened to Ranma, did they get him too? How bad is he?"_

_Tofu turned back to Ranma's bed. "No, nobody touched him, I had to sedate him. He was ready to kill somebody, and we don't even know who it was that kil…sorry."_

_"Kho Lon and Xian Pu." She whispered._

_"Huh…what was that?"_

_"It was those damn Chinese amazons, they did it, they k..killed my little sister…" Nabiki couldn't take it any longer, walls that had been erected years earlier at the death of her mother were finally breached._

_++++++++ Present Time ++++++++_

She sat up on the bed and look Ranma's still sleeping form. "Well, at least those two will never bother anyone again, not after you got through with them."

To be Continued…

******************

Hello everyone, I know it's been a really long time since I started this story. I reached a point where I couldn't decide how to continue it. I knew I wanted to have a Robotech / Ranma ½ crossover, but I didn't want to have it turn out as a carbon copy of all the other crossovers out there. I didn't want Ranma to start flying a veritech after the space fold and end up being an ace pilot alongside or instead of Rick Hunter. But every time I started to write chapter 3, I couldn't come up with a plot to get where I wanted to go. Probably because I wasn't even sure where that was. Finally after eight years though, the plot to this story is solid in my head. I even have a timeline sketched out with most of the highlights of the first robotech war and Ranma's place in them. Given my past history with completing stories, I'm not going to attempt to set a posting schedule, but I hope that I can do better than in the past. ;)

Oh yeah, I don't have any beta readers for this, so if you are interested and have knowledge of the Robotech Universe, please send me a message. If you want to leave your impressions of the story in reviews, I'd appreciate that as well.

Till next time,

Queberjeque


	2. Requiem

I'd like to thank the anonymous person who helped me to find my missing disclaimer; it was in the middle of the Caribbean. Don't bother asking how it got there, I don't know, I think it was flying a kite that got caught by a jet stream. Anyway, it is currently recovering from its ordeal so instead I will merely say that these characters don't belong to me, and even if they did, I wouldn't know what to do with them. Thank you, now enjoy this next part.

**Recovering Hearts**

A Ranma½ / Robotech crossover.

By Queberjeque

++++++++ denote flashbacks ++++++++

*thoughts*

~phone~

By the way, this occurs about 6 or 7 months after the failed wedding attempt, as for the Robotech crossover part that I have yet to get to, the ship crashed about a couple of years ago, and it won't be ready to launch for at least another 7 years.

Chapter 2

'**Requiem'  
**

_++++++++ Three weeks ago ++++++++ December, 2001_

_"Where is Kasumi?" Nabiki asked, looking around. "She's ok right?"_

_"K-k-kasumi? Heh, um…well, she was in sh-shock, your fathers are watching over her in the n-next room. Then, uh and I…felt that I should be in here with you two instead of with h-h-her," Tofu replied with a silly grin._

_"Doctor, for Kasumi's sake, please try to control yourself, I think that the last thing we need right now is irrationality." _

_"B-but…I-I can't help it, I…you are right, K-kasumi needs strength right now. Hee hee, I can do that, right? I will do my best to b-be there for K-K-K-kasumi," Tofu finished stuttering and wiped his glasses off, visibly struggling to gain control over himself._

_Getting up, Nabiki made her way over to Ranma's side. "How long before he gets up? I need about an hour before he goes on a rampage, we can't afford to have him arrested for destroying large sections of Nerima. I have some plans already prepared that should help contain this situation." _

_Nabiki scowled, *I just hope that this works. If I hadn't passed out I could have started improvising right away, instead I have to rely on plans that were created almost two years ago because there is no time to set up something new.* _

_"I think I can keep him under for an hour, don't worry, I will stay and watch him." With that, Tofu pressed a point near Ranma's shoulder and the restless boy calmed down, returning to a dreamless sleep._

_Nodding, Nabiki turned to go, however the doctor grabbed her hand before she could take a step. _

_"You know, revenge is a dangerous path to take. It usually just leads to more disappointment and despair than you start with."_

_Without turning to face him Nabiki replied in a whisper. "I know, but I don't care. They killed my little sister, I must not let them get away without suffering as well." _

_Pulling free from his hand, she made her way out of the room to the nearest phone. Dialing a number, she heard it pick up on the first ring. _

_~Hello?~ _

_"Initiate plans Amaterasu Alpha and Amaterasu Delta, if you need to reach me, I am at Dr. Tofu's office. Now hurry, I want this done within ten minutes." _

_~Boss? Yes boss, I'll get right on it.~ _

_Click. _

_Looking around, she quickly punched in another number. After the tenth ring she frowned and hung up the receiver. A minute later, knowing she would probably regret it if she didn't, she picked up the phone once more and dialed a third number. It picked up on the third ring._

_~Yes, who is it?~_

_"This is Nabiki, I have a job for you."_

_~What do you need boss?~_

_"Go over to the Neko-hauten and see who is there, and be careful. Do it fast, then come to Dr. Tofu's to report."_

_~Ok boss, right away.~_

_Click. _

_Sitting down in the nearest chair, she stared at her feet. _

_"Now what? I don't know what else I can do."_

_A hand rested on her shoulder. With a shriek she spun around, stumbling backwards._

_"Maybe I can help."_

_"Auntie Saotome!" With a look of relief Nabiki threw herself into the arms of the Saotome matriarch. _

_"I'm sorry for your loss, Akane was like a daughter to me, she would have been my daughter if only…" Nodoka wiped her eyes and looked at Nabiki with a gentle smile. "If you will let me, I can handle all of the necessary arrangements for her funeral; it is not something that you should have to do."_

_"Thank you Auntie, I would greatly appreciate your help." _

_They comforted each other for a while until they heard a crash from Ranma's room. Racing in there they found Tofu trying to keep an enraged Ranma from leaving._

_*Damn, I was hoping the doctor could keep him down longer. I need to distract him, Tofu is the only one of us who can do anything to stop him.*_

_"Ranma!"_

_Looking towards the newcomers Ranma paled at the sight of his mother. "I…I…Oh Kami, I failed to protect her mom. I wasn't there to save her this time, I wasn't there to stop them..."_

_"Ranma." Nabiki repeated. "I'm already handling it, you don't have to go fight them right now."_

_"What! You know who it was? Tell Me Who!" Ranma was suddenly right in front of Nabiki. _

_"It was…uh, calm down and I will tell you," Nabiki stalled. _

_Tofu quietly moved behind Ranma and tapped him in the lower back. Ranma's legs gave out beneath him and he sat abruptly._

_"Hey, what are you doing! Let me go!" Ranma yelled at the doctor. _

_"Ranma!" He looked back up at Nabiki._

_"It was the Koh Lon and Xian Pu, Kasumi and I saw them leaving the house." Seeing his darkening visage she hurried on with her explanation. "I already took some steps to stop them, but…" She trailed off looking away. _

_"I had their work visa's revoked and alerted Immigration and the Police, but I think they may have already left the country. I tried calling the restaurant and there was no answer. My associates will let us know what happened, soon. Until then, you are going to stay here and wait with the rest of us. If they are captured, then they will face judgment for killing Akane, if not, then they have fled and you are in no shape to go after them right this minute. It will require careful planning to attack them in their home territory. Do you understand me?"_

_Ranma glared at her. "Yah, I understand just fine! Doesn't anything get through that icy exterior of yours? They just kille-" _

_"I said to calm down Ranma. If they got away you will get your chance, but it won't be today! I want you to promise me that you will wait until after Akane's funeral to go after them. I think you should stay for that, you owe it to her. Don't you think? Otherwise I will have Dr. Tofu keep you here by force. There is nothing you can do right now but get in the way. You can't save her, she's gone…" Nabiki's voice trailed off._

_All of the rage drained from Ranma's face as the implications sank in. "F-funeral? I…I…" he closed his eyes, but tears started leaking from the corners, "Yeah, I promise."_

_Nabiki's heart tore to see the look of anguish on his young face. *Oh Ranma, I know you loved her, if I could take back some of the things I did to keep you two apart, I would. I didn't think either of you were ready for love, I'm sorry.* But those were thoughts that she couldn't bring herself to voice. Instead she just let the tears roll down from her already red and puffy eyes._

_++++++++ Present Time ++++++++ _January, 2002

"Nabiki, are you ok?"

Startled, Nabiki spun around to see Ranma-chan standing a few feet behind her.

"I…I'm fine, there is a teapot over there if you want to heat up some water. We have several days aboard this ship before we get to our destination."

"Oh. Well, now that we're already here, can you tell me where we are going? I mean, um than is, well, are you sure that they can't find us there? 'Cause it sure didn't take Xian Pu more than a few weeks to find me the first time. How do ya know they won't track us there?" Ranma looked up from studying the carpet, and met Nabiki's eyes with a questioning look.

"Don't worry about that, this place will be perfectly safe," Nabiki primed her revelation by moving closer to the window.

"We are going to Macross City!" Nabiki finished with a flourish and a self-satisfied grin.

"…"

Nabiki's grin slid off her face. "MACROSS City! South Ataria Island … you know… the island with the big alien spaceship!"

"…"

Her eye started to twitch. "You have heard of that spaceship crashed a few years ago! It's only the most secure installation anywhere near here! Don't you watch the news?"

"Oh! THAT Macross City, uh heh heh, I forgot." Ranma replied quickly and turned towards the teapot, but not before Nabiki saw the questioning look still on her face.

Nabiki sighed, "I managed to swing passes for both of us to live there and I almost wasn't able to do it. I seriously doubt that the Joketsuzoku will be able to get there, even if they discover where we are. The military is very careful about protecting it. I heard that they even have a pair of super-carriers there to guard the base. There is no way that those backwoods barbarians will be able to obtain passes without Kho Lon's expertise. Especially since their village is in a country that is opposing unification," Nabiki's smirk resumed its control of her face.

"What are we going to do there?" Ranma asked while pouring the hot water over his head.

Watching his transformation, her smirk deepened. "Oh, I'll think of something, don't you worry." Giving herself a quick shake she looked away. "One way or another, we'll survive."

Ranma spent the day down in their cabin recovering from the trip. Nabiki knew that he had not slept for more than an hour or two each day during the past week of running. Even Ranma couldn't recover from that with only one night's sleep. Nabiki had gotten more rest while he was guarding, so she felt like spending the remainder of the day on deck, watching the sea.

She knew that she still had several problems to take care of, but she didn't want to deal with them right now. They needed to find a place to stay and somewhere to work, which was something she better get started on before they arrived. The other problem was calling home and letting their families know what was going on. But for now, she just wanted to relax and soak in the peaceful sunlight.

Her thoughts drifted again towards when this whole mess started.

_++++++++ Three weeks ago ++++++++ December, 2001_

_"Boss! Boss, are you here?" Nabiki looked up at the door. Ryonami, the girl she had sent to the restaurant was coming into the room. "There you are, I got something for you."_

_"Good, what did you find, were they there, did they get arrested?"_

_Ryonami panted, trying to catch her breath. "Sorry boss, the old woman and Xian Pu got away, however, immigration managed to capture the boy, Mu Tsu. They followed your advice and threw water on him when he tried to fight, boy were they surprised!" Ryonami grinned._

_*Damn, they got away," Nabiki fumed. *Still, I suppose it is better to have Mu Tsu out of the way already. This way he can't interfere later.* "Wait a minute, you said you have something for me? What is it?"_

_"I found this on one of the tables, it's addressed to Ranma." Ryonami held out a large envelope._

_Nabiki took the envelope from her. "Thank you, if I need anything else I will call you."_

_She waited until Ryonami left, then tore open the envelope. Inside was a single piece of paper._

_(Ranma,_

_Yes, I was the one who killed your fiancé. I feel that it is a just punishment for what must now happen to my granddaughter Xian Pu. If you had simply married Xian Pu in the beginning, none of this would have happened. Instead I have seen you and the Tendo girl grow much closer over the last several months, ignoring our sacred tribal laws and customs. I know that it is now impossible for Xian Pu to complete her mission to take you back as her husband, so instead she will be permanently cursed to become a cat. I blame you. _

_Don't bother coming after us, by the time you get this we will be well on the way to China. If you do decide to pursue vengeance, remember this, if you come to China: you will die. If necessary the entire Joketsuzoku village will hunt you down. As I must now live with the knowledge that my favorite granddaughter is a cat, you must live knowing that the girl you love is dead at my hands and there is nothing you can do about it._

_May you die young,_

_Kho Lon_

_Matriarch)_

_Nabiki reread the letter several times, looking for clues. *There has to be a way to get to them.* She walked to the room where Ranma was sitting._

_"We leave after the funeral."_

_Ranma looked up, "What do you mean, We? I'm going alone, there is no reason to drag you along for this." He glanced over to the door. "Besides, you would just get in the way."_

_Nabiki threw the letter onto his lap. "Read this, then we'll talk. I'm the only one who can get you to them without getting caught. If you just storm into their village you will be killed. I have a plan to prevent that, and make sure that Akane's death is avenged." She turned to walk out the door, saying "When you are ready to listen, I will be with Kasumi and the others."  
_

_++++++++ Present Time ++++++++ _January, 2002

It was after five in the evening before she saw Ranma come on deck and move towards the ship's stern1. Nabiki watched as he stood at the railing and looked back in the direction they had traveled. She slowly made her way across the deck to his side.

"Are you alright?"

He turned his head to look at her, "Yah, I'm just fine, I would just like to be alone right now, if you don't mind, Nabiki," he paused, "but thanks for asking."

She nodded and walked back to the cabin. *I might as well get this over with.* She picked up the phone and dialed the dojo's number. It rang twice then she heard Nodoka's voice on the other end.

~Tendo Residence, can I help you?~

"Hello Auntie Nodoka, it's me, Nabiki."

~Nabiki! Are you alright? Where are you? Is Ranma with you?~ Nodoka's excited voice cried out.

"We're fine, but I can't tell you where we are right now. Are the others there? I need to tell everyone what is happening."

~Sorry dear, but Happosai has those two out tonight, probably at a bar or bath house. He has been keeping them either too drunk, or too busy to be sitting around the house, grieving. Kasumi is over having dinner with Dr. Tofu again.~

"Kasumi's over at Tofu's having dinner?! Wait, did you say Again? How many?… never mind, tell her when she gets back that I'm happy for her."

~I will dear.~ Nodoka chuckled over the line.

"I guess that I can tell you what happened, would you mind relaying it to the rest when they get home?" Nabiki asked.

~I would be glad to. You have been gone for so long, we were beginning to think that something awful had happened.~

"It WAS pretty awful, at least the last several days have been. Why don't I start at the beginning."

~That would probably be best my dear.~

"When we left I was able to get us into China with no problems at all. Wearing disguises to look like Chinese peasants, we traveled by train until we got to the mountains. From there we hiked to Jusenkyo. The springs have not come back yet since the fight with Saffron, by the way. We then worked our way, carefully, to a wooded hillside near the village. Not only did we spot roving patrols on the way in, but there were guards positioned all over the village itself. We used my binoculars to watch the village, apparently we arrived on the final day of Xian Pu's trial." Nabiki said, getting into the story.

"We saw Kho Lon and Xian Pu standing on one side of a raised platform, and several other old women on the other side. I had a hard time keeping Ranma from rushing down there to attack Kho Lon, but I was able to prevent him from doing anything rash. We were much too far to hear what they were saying, but we were plenty close enough to see what happened next. Everyone turned to watch a woman wearing clothes that were entirely red, come out of a long building, in the back of the village. She was carefully carrying something in her hands. Ranma told me that it was the ladle that can make curses permanent."

~There is such a terrible thing?~ Nodoka interrupted, ~thank heavens that didn't happen to Ranma.~

Nabiki sweat-dropped. "Uh, actually… ah, nevermind. Anyway, this woman carried the ladle up to the platform. She stopped near the elders, while they said something, then walked over to Xian Pu and threw the contents of the ladle on her. They turned her into a cat, permanently."

~Oh my!~

"Auntie Nodoka?"

~Uh, please continue my dear.~

"Well, um everyone dispersed then, we watched Kho Lon carry Xian Pu into a house near the center of the Village. The woman in red carried the ladle back to the building it came from, and she did not emerge again until that evening, when another women in similar robes, took her place in the building. After nightfall I had Ranma get me to the back of that building. We peeked inside and you won't believe what we saw."

~The woman in red with the ladle?~

"…" Nabiki sweat-dropped again. "Besides that, I mean. There were dozens of barrels in that building. We were able to read some of the labels on them. They had barrels for just about every spring that Jusenkyo used to have. Ranma got real excited about this, but I convinced him to let me come up with a plan of attack."

"We returned to our hilltop and waited for morning. By watching during the day we were able to get a good count of the number of people in the village, as well as where all of the guards were stationed. When the patrols came in, we were able to discover how many they had out watching the approaches to the village. I explained my plan to Ranma and he agreed that it was worthwhile."

~What was it, Nabiki?~

"I'm getting to that, Auntie. When night fell, I had Ranma get us back down to the building with the water. I waited outside while he quietly overpowered the guard. We searched through the barrels, but we couldn't find the spring of drowned-man. I think that the cask that was at the failed wedding came from here, because all of the other barrels looked similar to that one. Ranma gave me the kettle thing that reverses the ladle's effects. We searched for the most fitting punishment to use on Kho Lon. We were about to settle on turning her into a turtle when Ranma found a small cask nearly hidden between two larger ones. According to it's label it was from the spring of drowned-musk-warrior. Then, while I waited there he took the water, and the ladle, and went to dowse Kho Lon. While he was gone, I found and emptied the spring of drown-girl barrel. That way they couldn't find a way to use it to turn her back."

*I don't think I'll tell her about that small room in the back of the building with the treasure. After all, finders-keepers, losers-weepers.* Nabiki thought to herself with a small grin, *It is a pity I couldn't carry more of it, though.*

"I hated the wait, but Ranma finally returned. He was looking a little worn, so that may explain what happened when we left. He told me it was done, so we prepared to leave the village and return to our hiding place, undetected. When we were safe under the cover of the trees, Ranma told me what happened. Apparently he managed to get to her house unnoticed by any of the guards. Once there he made his way through it until he found her room. The old hag was waiting for him, apparently she had sensed his presence near the village. For once Ranma didn't hesitate to say something, or throw an insult."

Nabiki grinned. "Instead he threw the open barrel at her. When she dodged it, he was ready and hit her with the water from the ladle that he had kept hidden from her in the dark. I guess being locked into a new form is rather disorientating, because she didn't put up too much of a fight before Ranma managed to beat her unconscious with her own staff.

On his way back Ranma was delayed and almost had to knock out another guard, but she moved on without noticing him."

"The next morning we watched a most satisfying scene. The village was in an uproar when they found the unconscious guard. Several of the younger members of the tribe went to awaken the elders. Just moments after one entered Kho Lon's house we heard a scream, the girl came running out yelling something about Musk invaders. The guards got to the house just as a large man-creature came stumbling out of it. I couldn't get a very good view of Kho Lon's new body, but what I did see reminded me of a bull. The guards immediately started attacking it. For a few seconds I thought that she would just let them kill her, but then she started defending herself. First one, then two more guards flew backwards into neighboring houses, the rest were forced to go on the defensive against her."

Nabiki stopped for a moment.

~What is it Nabiki-chan, are you alright?~

"Sorry about that, I was just thinking. What really surprised me was that she wasn't trying to convince them to stop, the only sound that she made was a bellowing roar. I don't know for sure, but I think that being turned into one of the Joketsuzoku village's worst enemies did something to her mind. Either that, or else the spring of drowned-musk-warrior was one of the few that affected the mind as well, such as spring of drowned-virtuous-man."

~Spring of drowned-virtuous-man? That sounds like something I should try and get, heaven knows that Genma could use some,~ Nodoka replied.

Nabiki face-faulted. Getting up, she thought about the idea, *It probably wouldn't be strong enough.*

"Um, right Auntie Nodoka. Anyway, back to the story. I suppose what came next was inevitable, the other elders managed to get to the fight, along with additional fighters. None of them were throwing chi-blasts like Ranma and Ryoga do, but they were still quite amazing. I could barely even see them, they were moving so fast. Then one of the creature's arms suddenly exploded. When I gasped, Ranma didn't take his eyes off the match, but he said that one of the elders poked the arm. Kind of like Ryoga's Baksai-Tenketsu, only here it was used against flesh, not stone."

~Oh my…~

"The fight quickly deteriorated into chaos from that. The creature that had been Kho Lon seemed to go into a berserker frenzy, she managed to take down several dozen Joketsuzoku warrors, including two of the elders. I don't know if any of them died, because we didn't stay around long enough afterwards to watch, but they didn't look too good. It ended up being another elder leading a group of archers that put the creature down for good. They came up behind her and fired at her back. She managed to block a couple of the arrows, but at least four of them hit her. They kept firing at her until she fell down. Even then, with only one arm and looking like a pincushion, I could see through my binoculars that she was still moving. Finally, one of the elders that had been fighting hand to hand came up to her and chopped off her head," Nabiki paused, "I am not certain, but in those last moments, I would swear that I saw her look straight at where we were hiding."

~Really, did anyone else notice?~

"No, fortunately. You see, after they cut off her head, her body turned back into her original. When they saw that, the entire village went nuts. There were people running everywhere. They searched the village twice, and then they sent out bands of fighters in every direction. They would have found us too, except that when they started coming towards us, Ranma picked me up and ran the other direction."

"We managed to make it about two miles before Ranma stopped. He pulled out the ladle and set it on the ground. He then blasted it with a Moko Takabisha, when I looked at him, he just said that he didn't want them to have it. I agreed with him about that. Before we could go much farther though, we stumbled into one of their patrols. They had come to investigate the light created by Ranma's blast. He was able to easily knock them all out, but that allowed them to know that we were in the area. They had someone to blame for what had happened to their matriarch."

Nabiki sighed, "Since then we have been on the run. We can't return to the dojo, so instead I arranged for us to go someplace else. When things calm down a bit, maybe we can send for you to come and visit, but until then, we can't risk letting them find us. They are out for blood, and neither Ranma nor I want to have to kill to stop them," Nabiki finished.

~Oh…my…~

"Please let the rest of the family know that we are alright. But tell the school that we were killed, that may throw some of our pursuers off track."

~Of course my dear, I have some experience covering for someone on the run. After all, Genma upset many people during his lifetime, and quite a few of them came to me. I will take care of everything. Don't you worry. I hope you have a pleasant time with my son. Oh, by the way, tell Ranma that some of his friends have been looking for him. That nice Hibiki boy was exceedingly upset about not having the opportunity to accompany the two of you, and Miss Kuonji decided to go with him. She didn't seem to be very pleased with you two. Is this something that I will need to deal with?~

"Uh, maybe…"

~Very well, if she is still upset when I see her again, I will inform her that the two of you are dead. After all, I still prefer to honor the Tendo engagement. I am sure that I can convince my husband to start paying her back her dowry. He often agrees with me when I sharpen my katana. You'll keep Ranma out of any trouble, won't you dear? That's what he needs most it seems, and I am sure that he will keep you safe. Good bye.~

_Click_

"…" Nabiki stared at the phone until the dial-tone changed. Hanging it up, she sat on the bed and stared at the window. A smile came to her face, then she started to laugh, for the first time in weeks she was laughing. She couldn't stop, she was laughing so hard that tears streamed down her face, and she was afraid that she would wet her pants. Finally her laughter wound down to a few chuckles, and she lay back on the bed.

"Ranma and me…Yah right." Still giggling she got under the covers and went to sleep.

"nabiki…nabiki…Nabiki?…Hey Nabiki…NABIKI WAKE UP!"

"Huh, wha…?" Nabiki's eyes shot open, taking in the room's other occupant. "Ranma," she growled, "did you have to yell in my ear?!" She sat up and glanced out the window. Noticing the sun was shining on the water, she asked, "What time is it?"

Ranma grinned at her. "Well, it was either that or a bucket of water, and since I couldn't find a bucket…" He hefted a glass filled with water, ice cubes floating at the top. "This was my next idea."

She pulled the covers up to her chin. "Don't you dare, if you even think about throwing that on me…" Nabiki kept her threat purposely vague. "How long was I asleep? I feel much better."

"You were sleeping when I got back last night, and it is already after noon. I figured I better wake you up, since you missed breakfast. Lunch is still available, if you hurry." With that, Ranma turned and left the room.

"Ok, so I slept for another fifteen hours, I was tired. Wait, did he say lunch?" Nabiki jumped out of bed. Hurriedly throwing on her clothes, she ran out of the room and almost collided with Ranma, who was standing in front of the door. "Hey!"

Ranma looked at her. "Actually lunch was an hour ago, you missed it."

"What!? Then why did you tell me…" Her voice trailed off as she saw the cart sitting next to Ranma.

"You looked pretty exhausted, so I decided to bring lunch to you." Ranma put his hand behind his head, just like every other time she had seen him embarrassed. "Heh, besides, I wasn't able to wake you up earlier."

"Well, um…at least you didn't try that water." Nabiki tried to keep her voice firm, but she couldn't stop a small smile from appearing.

Turning away from him to grab the cart, she quickly pulled it into the room.

"Thank you, I'll be up in a little while." She closed the door, and leaned against the frame. She looked at the cart. The food was in covered dishes, and the silverware was wrapped in a linen napkin. What really caught her eye though was the white flower sitting in a vase in the middle of the tray.

She picked up the flower. *Wow, what a cruise ship, I love room service, they probably put flowers on all of their trays.* Bringing the flower up to her nose, she breathed in its fragrance. *I suppose it is a nice touch. With that thought in mind, she carefully placed the flower back in its vase. Pulling the cart over to the table, she settled down to enjoy her meal, and while it wasn't quite up to Kasumi's standards, it was delicious compared to eating what they could find while on the run.

After breakfast, Nabiki picked up the phone.

~Hello, Macross City Chamber of Commerce, how may I help you?~

"Hi, I would like to get a listing of all martial art dojos in the city."

~Just a moment, let me check.~

Nabiki waited patiently. *I hope I can find one that will agree to let him teach. It shouldn't be too hard, once they see what he can do, but still… I'll bet that Ranma doesn't have any paperwork to prove he's allowed to teach Musabetsu Kakuto Ryu. I wonder if Auntie Nodoka would be willing to have Daddy draw up some papers and fax them to me? * Nabiki stopped that line of thought as the woman's voice came back on the line.

~I'm sorry, but there are no martial art dojos currently operating in Macross City. If you would like, I can send you a list of exercise gyms instead.~

"Uh no, that's unnecessary. Goodbye."

~Goodbye~

_Click_.

Nabiki sat down and pondered this. *Well, that was unexpected. So much for the idea of getting Ranma a job. I suppose I'll have to fall back on plan B. Hmmm, how will I convince him to pose for me though?*

Nabiki started to grin as an idea came to her. "Wait a minute, they said that there are no dojos on the island right now, that means that there is an entire market lying untapped! It will take a bit of work, but I think this could be perfect."

Nabiki reached over to pick up her pack. Opening it, she started pulling out various golden objects. Most were items like coins, or jewelry, but there were also some small statues and a few cups. Then, reaching the bottom of the back, she opened up a hidden compartment. From there she withdrew a folded black cloth. Carefully laying it on the bed, she slowly unfolded it to reveal the contents. In the center fold a myriad of jewels now lay sparkling in the sunlight. Reaching back into the compartment she pulled out a huge pile of large denomination yen.

"Yes, I think this just might work." Nabiki grinned. *This should satisfy the job requirement for living in Macross City. Opening up a dojo will give Ranma something to do that he enjoys, and taking care of its management will be sufficient for me.* Nabiki thought about that for a moment. *Of course, just running a dojo will be too easy, after all I've been taking care of ours since before Daddy stopped teaching. Besides, I really enjoy taking pictures. Hmm, maybe I can do both.*

With that thought still running through her head, Nabiki carefully put everything away, then left the room to go find Ranma.

She walked around the entire deck looking for Ranma. After she checked the lounge and dining room, she was starting to get a little worried until she saw a flash of familiar red hair over by the pool. Making her way over to the deck chair Ranma-chan was draped over, she settled herself next to her.

"Enjoying yourself, Ranma?"

"Yep." Ranma-chan replied without moving.

"Ranma, I wanted to talk to you about something."

Opening her eyes, Ranma-chan replied. "What did ya need?"

"Well, in order for us to stay on the island, we have to have legitimate jobs. I was thinking," Nabiki answered, "that if you were agreeable, I would open up a dojo and you could teach classes."

Ranma-chan looked thoughtful for a second. "Sure, but isn't that kind of expensive?"

"Ah, never mind about that part, I have it covered." Nabiki responded, ignoring the look of skepticism on Ranma-chan's face. "Oh, one other thing…"

"What's that?" Ranma-chan asked, closing her eyes again.

"Since this will be my dojo, I will be the one in charge. You have to do what I say."

"What! No way!" Ranma-chan was suddenly sitting up, wide eyes staring at her. "You don't know anything about teaching martial arts, why should I have to listen to you?"

"It's either that, or you can get a job as a waitress." Nabiki smirked, "I'm sure there is a Chinese restaurant somewhere in the city.

Ranma-chan blanched.

Nabiki decided to give Ranma-chan a little more incentive. "Look, I'm not going to try to tell you how to teach the students, all I am saying is that when it comes to managing the dojo, I am the one in charge. Ranma, you don't even have a high school diploma, how would you be able to run a business?"

Looking her in the eye, Ranma-chan slowly nodded. "Ok, I'll give it a shot." She lay back down. "But only if I have the final say in what I teach."

Nodding Nabiki agreed with him. "Of course Ranma, do I look stupid to you? What you teach will be entirely up to you."

Standing up, Nabiki looked at the pool. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Where are you going?"

"To get my bathing suit," Nabiki glanced back down to Ranma-chan. "We get to the island in a couple of days, that means I only have a short time to enjoy this cruise and I want to go swimming."

Looking around at the pool's other occupants, Nabiki noticed several men eyeing the young redhead. "Oh, and Ranma?"

"What?"

"Try not to get into any trouble. If you get into any fights, you'll answer to me."

"Huh?" Ranma-chan looked up at her, then glanced around the pool and started glaring at her admirers.

Nabiki chuckled, "Remember, no fights."

With that Nabiki turned away from Ranma and made her way back towards their cabin. Her steps felt lighter than they had before.

*Yes, maybe this will work out after all.*

******************

1 Stern: The rear part of a ship.

Well, that's the whole story that I wrote so many years ago. From here on out it's all new material. If you have any questions comments or concerns, please post a review or send me a message.

I'd like to thank my Ranma/grammar beta, Demonlord87. If anyone well versed in the Robotech / Macross universes wants to be a beta reader, I'd really appreciate it.

Till next time,

Queberjeque


	3. A New Life

Yep, I know I don't own any of this, do I look rich to you?

***

**Recovering Hearts**

A Ranma½ / Robotech crossover.

By Queberjeque

***

Author's Note: While this is a Robotech crossover, there might be a few ideas and names that I am going to use from the Macross series, rather than from the Robotech series.

***

Chapter 3

'**A New Life'**

September, 2002

***

Nabiki Tendo was not a happy camper. Instead of running her own business and being her own boss, she was fetching coffee and making copies for someone else. The reasons behind this tragedy were complicated, but it all boiled down to the inefficiencies of bureaucracy.

Upon arriving on South Ataria Island, Nabiki had originally planned to use her start-up capital and open and manage a dojo run by the best martial artist she knew, namely one Ranma Saotome. Instead, she ran into a great deal of red tape. Her business license was still waiting for approval, her building permits were probably wallowing in some in-box and her father still had not sent over a license for Ranma to teach Musabetsu Kakuto Ryu.

About the only thing that had gone right was the purchase of a piece of prime real estate in a perfect location. But even that silver-lining had a cloud, since now she was paying taxes on land she wasn't using. She knew that it was a good thing she had the land though, a large influx of consultants, scientists and manufacturers from around the world started only a month or so after they arrived. After that started, property prices started climbing as available land was snatched up and construction started on office buildings, factories and research centers. Sure she could sell the land for a considerable profit, but then they would be out in the cold when her paperwork was finally approved, with potentially no properties available by then. It was far better to pay the money than to risk the future.

All of these were perfectly good reasons for her to have a headache, but surprisingly she was calm and composed. Sure things were not perfect, but that's life. After all, at least they were safe from the Chinese here. Plus life was starting to fall back into a rhythm, she had convinced Ranma to start taking classes in order to finish his final year of high school. At first he had resisted, but eventually she was able to explain that an education was necessary to make a dojo run properly, otherwise he could go out of business and be left with nothing.

Nabiki was also moving forward with her plans for her own life. She had enrolled in an online college program and was steadily working her way through the coursework. It wasn't Tokyo University, but it was better than nothing and she was grateful that she had the money to pay for it.

The proceeds from selling off the Joketsuzoku treasures had given them a very solid little nest egg. She had sent half of it to Kasumi to help her cover household expenses. But even with just the half she kept, Ranma and her were able to get their educations and still have enough left over to build their dojo and maintain an emergency fund as well. If the paperwork ever came through for the dojo, that is.

"I'll go back over to the city planning offices again tomorrow. I don't care if it irritates them to see me yet again; they have had eight months to get to our paperwork. So what if we aren't a UN research team or a military contractor, they need to get off their butts and take care of the little people too. "

Glancing over to the clock on the wall, she was pleased to notice that she would soon be on her way home.

Home. The word had changed so much in the past several months. It used to be a place of tranquility and chaos, of harmony and fighting, in short the ever changing Tendo Dojo.

That all changed when the rules of the fiancée battle were changed by the damn Chinese barbarians. After Akane's death, her home became a place of sorrow and anger, of grief and rage. Kasumi did all she could to hold the family together, but the atmosphere of the dojo had changed forever.

Once Ranma and she set off on their journey of vengeance, 'home' had become even more nebulous of a concept, a place where someday she hoped to rejoin her remaining sister and rebuild her life. While she was sleeping in a tent, or under a bush, or in any number of other hiding places; that was the dream she held onto of home.

Now she had a new home. Sure it was a rather bare, two room apartment she shared with Ranma, but for now it was home.

***

Walking home Nabiki glanced around at all the new construction going up around the burgeoning city. Most of the new buildings were for government, scientific or military support, but there were also a growing number of civilian businesses as well. As she passed one construction site, she studied it and decided that it would probably be a restaurant, judging by the layout.

Nabiki decided to take the long way home and stop to see if Ranma was finished yet as well. As she approached his current place of employment, she stopped and tried to catch sight of him amongst the dozen or so construction workers. Finally she spotted Ranma carrying what looked like bags of cement over to a machine that was pouring the foundation of what would eventually be a hotel.

A couple of weeks after they arrived on the island, Nabiki received notification that in order to stay they had to have jobs. Her position as an administrative assistant to the vice president of research at Hughes Sensor Systems International was a lucky break. Ranma had a harder time finding employment though. Nobody wanted to hire a kid without a high school diploma, prior work experience or any kind of job training other than as a waitress. Even the two restaurants in town wouldn't hire him, because they didn't have openings for another waitress. Finally Nabiki was able to get him a job as an untrained, part-time construction worker. Ranma spent most of his afternoons carrying heavy loads up and down the various construction sites. His employers liked him because he worked hard and was always on time. He enjoyed the workout and learning how various machines were operated. Ranma didn't know how to drive a car, but after a few friendly demonstrations and warnings from his boss about the damage a mistake could cause, Ranma was now able to drive a few of the smaller construction machines such as the cement truck, forklift and his favorite, the smaller bulldozer. That only happened when his boss needed another driver though, most of the time he was carrying loads and helping the trained experts.

A whistle blowing shook Nabiki out of her memories and she watched as most of the workers set down their tools, parked their machines and got ready to leave. Ranma, she noticed, finished carrying two more loads of cement before hopping the fence to land next to her.

"Hi Nabs, how was work?" Ranma asked with a grin. Ever since he started working, Ranma had gained even more self confidence and self worth. After so many years watching his father steal, sleep, avoid work like the plague and freeload off of others, Ranma felt real pride in his employment.

Rolling her eyes, Nabiki tried to poke Ranma in the shoulder. "I've told you not to call me that, you uncouth barbarian."

Dodging her attack with a twist that looked effortless, Ranma laughed and hopped up on the fence next to them. "Ready for your warm-up, student? Follow me home and if you can catch me, I'll go easy on you tonight."

Even before he finished talking, Nabiki jumped up on the fence, catching her balance after only a second of wobbling, then taking off in pursuit of the pigtailed menace.

While trying to explain to Ranma why he had to get a job, Nabiki decided it was time to make some improvements to the martial arts genius. After all, she was going to be living with him for the foreseeable future and not only that, she was planning to go into business with him. Having a lazy and uneducated father or brother-in-law was one thing, but business was business. So Nabiki came up with a plan to deal with the problem and it worked perfectly.

Sitting Ranma down, she had him list all of the ways he was disappointed by his parents' behavior, especially his father's. With a few comments from her to point out some of the glaring faults that Ranma didn't recognize, they came up with a long list of complaints. Nabiki then pointed out all of the ways in which Genma had trained Ranma to follow in his own footsteps. The disrespect he had drilled into his son of education or working for a living. Using prepared examples, Nabiki proceeded to explain to Ranma all of the ways that Genma had handicapped him, in order to prevent Ranma from making his own life away from the fat, balding patriarch.

It took an entire weekend for Nabiki to finish proving to Ranma that a 'true martial artist' needed to have a strong work ethic, at least a high school education and the teaching ability to make his students 'enjoy' learning in order to manage a successful dojo. A talented but uneducated martial artist would fail to run the business and his dojo would close, leaving him with nothing but debts. Ranma eventually even understood that dojos run by masters with college degrees were the most successful and sought after. That those dojos taught the most students and had the best reputations.

Since that long weekend, Ranma had completely changed his look on life. Nabiki had enrolled him as a senior at the local high school and every morning and afternoon Ranma was hard at work trying to catch up with where a student his age should be. The irregularities of his formal education over the years had left some very pronounced gaps in his knowledge, that with help from his teachers and Nabiki, he was finally closing.

After school, Ranma would then head over to wherever the current construction site was and help out for four hours, then it would be time to go home for the next part of his daily schedule. On weekdays Ranma would spend an hour training Nabiki in Musabetsu Kakuto Ryu. Since she had given up her training not long after her mother's death, Ranma had to pretty much train her from the beginning. Fortunately for her, she kept herself in fairly good shape and was very flexible.

By setting herself as Ranma's first student, Nabiki was killing multiple birds with one stone. If the Joketsuzoku warriors ever caught up with them, she intended to be able to defend herself. She was also helping Ranma learn how to teach. Whenever he would do something that she considered idiotic or dangerous, they would sit down together and discuss the issue. Ranma would explain the reasoning behind that aspect of training, and then Nabiki would point out the flaws and dangers to normal students. Working together they would come up with a safer method of training that satisfied both of them.

After the evening's training, Ranma and Nabiki both spent several hours studying. Ranma would finish his homework for the next day and do additional reading on subjects picked out by Nabiki and his teachers. Nabiki would take care of her own studying at the same time.

While searching for jobs, Nabiki had discovered the grand opening of the local branch of an international, higher education training company. They mostly specialized in providing training for professionals looking to learn additional skills or for companies training their employees for new projects, but they also offered a number of college degree programs for people too busy to attend regular universities. Sure it wasn't Tokyo University, but it was still a degree, something Nabiki had always planned on achieving. She quickly enrolled in Business Administration and studied every evening. Once every couple of weeks she would attend a lecture and series of tests, but most of the course work was done at home.

***

While they grew comfortable with their new jobs and study habits, their lives settled into comforting routines. Each day and every week was the same, no crazed martial artists were challenging Ranma, and no princes were showing up to kidnap anybody. It was peaceful and relaxing.

The only break in this calm schedule was the unexpected and shocking three days in the middle of May when the UN Army declared an emergency and evacuated everyone into specially prepared bunkers. Even deep underground Nabiki was able to hear faint explosions. It was the first time she had heard those sounds since the Sino Alliance was forced to stop bombing Japan back in 1997, when the US, Canadian and NATO troops were able to destroy the navy blockading them.

After the third day, the civilians were allowed to leave their shelters and emerged to find much of the city destroyed. With everyone pitching into the reconstruction efforts, including the newly arrived UN Marine forces that were there to bolster the Army, the city was soon repaired and operating normally. Nabiki and Ranma were able to fall back into their familiar routines once again.

***

On most weekends Ranma insisted that they leave the city and go to the beach. There they would spend most of the time training, followed by a bit of relaxation. Ranma would set a series of goals for Nabiki to accomplish, first demonstrating, then explaining and finally watching to make sure that she understood and wasn't going to hurt herself. After he was confident that she would be fine without him watching her, Ranma would work on his own training.

Ever since the battle with the Joketsuzoku, Ranma had been worried about his ki. The fury that powered his attack on Kho Lon had loosened his grip on his control. During their desperate retreat back to Japan, they were repeatedly attacked by Joketsuzoku fighters all intent on eviscerating them both. Ranma would never mention it to Nabiki, but he was certain that some of the attackers that he stopped would never be getting up again.

He was a murderer now, like Kho Lon. Sure, the lives were taken in defense of Nabiki and himself, but that didn't change the fact that he had killed. After the fight with Saffron, when he was desperate to save Akane, he was aware that Saffron was going to be reborn. Mentally he was able to gloss over the fact that he had killed the leader of the Phoenix people, telling himself that it was no worse than any other healable injury.

Now he could no longer consider himself an innocent, it was time for him to grow up and take control of his own life. Maybe if he had forced the issue earlier, instead of listening to his father and worrying about a family honor that was already tattered and torn by Genma's past actions, Akane would still be alive and he wouldn't have so much blood on his hands.

He had been filled with so much rage and hatred after Akane's death that he was afraid that it had been detrimental to his mental health. After all, he had spent the last several years watching Ryoga descend ever deeper into a blind berserker mode in his fights, allowing his anger to fuel his attacks, ignoring any innocents around him. Ranma didn't want this to happen to him, but he no longer had someone to ask about it. So every weekend Ranma meditated and worked on advanced katas without using any special techniques. He wanted to be sure that his aura was untainted before once again using his ki as an offensive weapon. The meditation techniques that he used had yet to help him find any problems, but he felt they were very worthwhile since he had never before felt so in tune with his own being.

His father had taught him long ago how to control his breathing and heartbeat. His own training and studying of his internal energies allowed him to subconsciously direct his ki into a damaged section of his body to speed up the healing process, or to provide extra strength or durability when hitting or being hit. His ability to improvise or learn new techniques was better than anyone else he knew. After simply seeing the ki attack Ryoga had learned with help from a scroll, Ranma was able to develop his own attack. He had quickly learned or copied every Joketsuzoku technique they had taught or used upon him. Most of those he never used, but the knowledge was always useful. Never showing your true potential to rivals or enemies was a cornerstone of the Saotome school of Musabetsu Kakuto Ryu.

Now however he felt like he had passed a plateau in his training. He could see and consciously direct the flow of his internal energies much easier than ever before, plus he could sometimes see the natural energies of the people, plants and animals around him. He couldn't touch or use the energy, but he could see it flowing through them when he was concentrating on it. It took a concerted effort to be able to see these amazing energy pathways though, at least for now, since Ranma was well aware that every skill learned eventually got easier with practice. Ranma knew that he didn't have the time necessary to fully explore where this could lead, but soon he would finish his last month of school. That was when he planned to take some time off and really explore the possibilities. Once again it would soon be time to practice and hopefully expand his repertoire of ki techniques.

****

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That's the new chapter, I hope you liked it! Finally we are going to start to really delve into the Robotech side of this story. It's been over half a year since they arrived on the island and already their lives have changed. If you have any questions comments or concerns, please post a review and tell me your opinion.

***

Thanks to my beta Demonlord87 for fixing my grammar in a few places, any mistakes still in there are mine. I'm still looking for another beta reader with strong Robotech/Macross knowledge, especially since from here on in the story will be primarily in that universe.

***

Till next time,

Queberjeque


	4. Life is Funny that Way

Disclaimer: Not mine.

*******

**Recovering Hearts**

A Ranma½ / Robotech crossover.

By Queberjeque

***

Author's Note: There are some ideas and names that I am going to use from the Macross series, rather than from the Robotech series.

***

Chapter 4

'**Life is Funny that Way'**

October, 2002

***

Ranma dropped his backpack as he looked around with a satisfied smile. This place was perfect for training, not only was it secluded from the nearby beach where people often went to relax, but it was still outside the Military Restricted Zone that encompassed most of the unsettled segments of the island.

Nabiki had driven him half crazy with her repeated admonitions to stay out of the restricted area. She didn't want him to get arrested, or for the UN to get mad and kick them off the island back to where the Chinese could find them. An entire week of Nabiki lecturing him about the dangers of upsetting the UN was his reward for informing her that, once he finished the final exams he was taking, his plans were to go on a training trip. Nabiki was not worried, suspicious or jealous about him going off on his own to train, unlike certain others he could think of. She just wanted to make sure he didn't get into any trouble; he did have a talent for it she pointed out.

Nabiki also spent a great deal of time talking to him about the advantages of a college education for a martial artist, finally convincing him to promise to enroll in college courses once his training trip was complete. Ranma was fine with this agreement, the last nine months spent calmly working and studying had been very relaxing and he found that he actually enjoyed learning, especially with nobody attacking or insulting him. Since there wasn't anybody throwing water on him or otherwise disturbing his sleep and he didn't have to conserve energy to survive daily battles with premier martial artists, he was able to stay awake in his classes. He found he was actually enjoying learning at school, a pleasure he previously only associated with studying martial arts. But now he was going to spend some quality time studying his beloved art.

Fortunately for him, Ranma was certain that even Nabiki would agree that this clearing was perfect. With trees on one side to shield it from the beach and small hills surrounding it on the other three sides, nobody was likely to interrupt him, or as Nabiki would probably point out, nobody would _be_ bothered by him, especially not the authorities. It had taken a couple of hours for him to find it, but he felt the time was well spent. With his diploma still laying in it's envelope on the kitchen table back in the apartment, Ranma finally surrendered to the siren call of learning new martial arts techniques.

He had been planning this training trip for several months now, ever since he first managed to get his first glimpse of the ki pathways both inside of him and in the world around him. He was pretty sure that Happosai and the dead and buried Kho Lon could each see ki like this. He remembered them both occasionally staring at him as if they were seeing something other than him. Now he was kicking himself for not paying attention to what they were doing.

This was his opportunity to figure it out, Ranma was absolutely positive that he was on the verge of a breakthrough that would revolutionize his mastery of the 'Art'. Maybe he could develop a new ki attack where instead of forming in his hands, it could appear right on top of his enemy, giving them no chance to dodge. Maybe he could learn to use his ki to heal others, closing wounds and curing sickness. Perhaps he could even learn to recharge his energy from the land around him, no longer needing to sleep, never tiring out in a battle. The more possibilities he dreamt up, the more excited he was to start experimenting. He had two and a half days left before he had to be at work Monday afternoon, plenty of time to get started.

***

The calming sound of the waves as they washed up against the shore, along with the happy, yet discordant squeals of children as they ran and played in the surf, filled the little clearing. The occupant never noticed them. The delicious scents of grilled hamburgers and chicken wafted in on the breeze, still the figure sat motionless in the grass. These sounds slowly faded away as the shadows grew longer. Finally there was silence, with just the sounds and smell of the ocean filling the air.

The figure that had been motionless throughout the day finally shifted, as ever so slowly his arms stretched down in order for their hands to cup the grasses in front of him. For several long minutes nothing happened until his eyes flew wide and his mouth popped open in panic. "Whoops!"

If someone happened to be taking an evening jog on the beach, looking towards the hills south of the city, they would have been astounded and probably concerned to see a bright flash of light and a muffled thunder. Fortunately nobody was around to worry about the possibly of another attack by Anti-Unification forces.

***

An automated sensor dutifully reported the unrecognized energy signature, marked the log entry and printed out a report. In the darkened room, a printer whispered for a few seconds, then quieted down as the paper settled down in the tray.

***

The late morning sunlight was warming his cheeks as Ranma opened his eyes. As he looked at his surroundings, it took him a few seconds to remember where he was at.

"That wasn't as much fun as I thought it would be," He muttered.

Carefully rolling over, he yelped as his sunburned posterior came into contact with the ground. Standing up, he looked at the pitiful state of his clothing. The back of his pants, all the way down to his ankles, was gone, the burnt edges giving mute testament to the power of the energies he had been toying with.

"Wow, that stuff packs a stronger punch than Ryoga! Bwahahaha, just wait until I figure out how to control it pig boy, then we're going to rumble!" Belying his haggard appearance, Ranma smiled as he walked over to his pack and pulled out another set of clothing.

While he was dressing, Ranma was surprised to realize that the grass he had been sitting on the night before was verdant and untouched by the energies unleashed when he lost control.

Puzzled, he sat back down and tried to figure out what he had done and where he went wrong. He remembered attempting to pull the energy flowing through the grass into a ball, like his signature ki attack. He also remembered feeling a sudden buildup of energy right beneath him, not between his hands like he wanted, but directly under his body. He recalled sensing that energy reaching a peak, followed closely by a flash of light accompanied by a flying sensation, then nothing.

"Well at least I proved I can manipulate it, control will come with practice, after all, Ranma Saotome never loses." With that confident declaration, Ranma closed his eyes and started the meditation process that would allow him to once more attempt the impossible.

***

The room was well lit this time as the printer again produced a report of an unrecognized energy buildup on the island. Loud noises were even coming through the tightly closed door, proof that it was not abandoned. Both pages lay unnoticed on the printer though, as the sudden cheering of several voices could be heard over the mechanical sounds permeating the room.

***

Ranma stood up much more quickly this time. "I almost had it," he grinned. His clothes were a little singed, but still in good shape, so that was a definite improvement. This was the most fun he'd had in ages.

"Maybe I shouldn't be attempting to pull nature's ki directly, maybe I can push my own ki out and use it like a tool to affect the natural energy…" He muttered to himself as he closed his eyes, all of his focus on this new technique he was developing.

***

"Good morning, Dr. Lang."

"Did you have a nice weekend Dr. Lang?"

"Morning Dr. Lang, I have that analysis of the flow regulator test results for you as well as Dr. Chan's progress report, sir."

Dr. Emil Lang enjoyed Mondays; the beginning of the week always seemed to beckon to him, promising new discoveries to come. He liked to arrive before seven and encouraged others to do the same. As Earth's chief Robotechnician walked through the various laboratories and testing facilities, he nodded and smiled at the people greeting him. They worked long, hard hours and helped each other out when they could, even though some were working on competing projects. He couldn't ask for better subordinates, truly these were the best and brightest minds the free world had to offer.

Entering his personal lab, he skimmed through the analysis of the testing done over the weekend. Finding everything satisfactory, Dr. Lang put it down and happily turned his focus to deciding which of his pet projects he wanted to work on today.

Torn between continuing his experiment to create a miniaturized Protoculture-cell energizer, or testing his electromagnetic-containment system for storing plasma, he almost didn't notice the stack of papers sitting in the printer tray.

"Did I forget something I printed last week?" He mumbled to himself with a half-smile. "Well, I think I was quite busy, I wonder what I was working on that I didn't finish." Pickup up the pages, he started to skim through them, then suddenly stopped and went back to the first page.

"What?!" Quickly he glanced through the rest of the papers, comparing all of the readouts and noting the timestamps on each page.

"I can't believe nobody here was considerate enough to pay attention when the system was recording this. I swear I have the laziest, most inconsiderate people working for me, trained monkeys could do better." Dr. Lang groused as he opened the door and stuck his head out into the outer room.

Glancing around, he saw two people who he was willing to trust with this development.

"Robert, Gina, please come here, both of you."

When the two project leaders were in the room and the door was once again securely shut, Lang showed them the papers in his hands. "Look at these readings and tell me if you both see the same things I am seeing?"

Both of them took a few of the pages, puzzled at their mentor's unusually agitated behavior.

"Sir, what is this, it looks like faint, protoculture-cell energizer readings…" Trailing off, Gina looked at the papers in Robert's hands. "But look here, several of the balances are way off, as if the 'cell energizer was modulated for some reason."

She tapped her fingers on her chin for a second, "It sure wouldn't be fun to stand next to whatever made these readings, the feedback harmonics would have to be noticeable." Dr. Gina Wiget, exclaimed. The Swiss blond was obviously just as confounded by the readings as Lang himself.

Dr. Robert Jordache cleared his throat to get their attention. "Yes, but look at the distance readings, that's only a couple of kilometers away but the readings are so low that a normal 'cell energizer would have to be fifty times that distance away to be that faint. That means that either an artifact has been discovered that the cleanup somehow missed, or else someone has successfully developed a 'cell energizer that is much smaller than we are currently capable of." With this last, the man looked apologetically over at his mentor, who he knew was working towards the same goal.

"Yes, those are the conclusions I came to as well," Dr Lang said as he started digging through a cabinet. "If you look, you'll notice that the last reading was early this morning, if I can find that portable particle-sniffer we used while surveying the ship, maybe we can track the source down the next time it activates."

Dr. Wiget held up her hand to get their attention. "Look at the durations though, it's obviously a clandestine operation, none of the readings lasted for much more than a minute or so. In fact, most of them lasted less than thirty seconds. Someone will have to stay here and monitor the main sensor, giving the team with the portable unit a bearing to compare their own readout with. No, wait. What we really need is two portable sensors, not just one… didn't Dr. Zand have one as well? Maybe I can go ask him for it. I know he's not the most sociable person, but maybe if I ask politely he'll let me borrow it. That way the two portable units can go in different directions and we can use them to triangulate the source of the readings. Otherwise we are never going to be able to track the source of these readings. Whoever it is will shut it down again after a minute and we will be forced to start all over again, barely any closer." When her dialogue finally tapered off, Dr. Wiget looked up to find her companions staring at her. "What?"

"Do you ever take a breath when you get like that?" Dr. Jordache asked with a grin.

Chuckling, Dr. Lang waved his hands in a shooing gesture, "Go and ask him politely then Gina, I'm sure he will be unable to refuse."

***

It took over an hour to track down both handheld scanners, during which the sensors recorded yet another burst of energy, but finally Dr. Lang and Dr. Wiget were both in driving into the city, one heading north, the other heading south.

***

Two hours later, a frustrated and bored robotechnician sat slouched in her jeep, staring at a screen that refused to obey her mental commands to show her the contact she was waiting for. "Maybe it's a weekend thing and they only want to experiment when the UN scientific staff that might notice them is at a minimum." Nodding to herself, she pickup up her cell phone to pitch her idea to the others just as the scanner beeped to register a new trace. Recording the readings, she finished dialing and didn't have to wait for more than a single ring.

"What was your bearing, Gina?" Robert asked before she could say anything.

Reading off the numbers, she waited patiently while he finished talking to Dr. Lang on the other line.

"Hmmm, ok it looks like the signal is coming from the south side of the town, near the beach. The signal is too faint to get more localized than maybe 200 meters, but hopefully that is close enough, since there aren't very many buildings in that area. Here are the general coordinates."

As she finished writing down the coordinates, Dr. Wiget was already pulling out into the road. The morning commuter traffic winding down, but with plenty of construction and military vehicles on the roadway, it took her over five minutes to drive the two kilometers. Stopping in a beachfront parking lot, which was as close as she could get, she looked at the scanner to confirm it wasn't registering anything.

Stepping out of the jeep, she started walking along the beach, glancing at the swimmers and the sunbathers that were already enjoying the summer morning.

Spotting a collection of small structures just above the high tide line, Dr. Wiget started to approach them. As she got closer, she noticed that they all sported signs proclaiming to be shops or food vendors. She wondered what a clandestine lab would be doing in such a location. Upon further reflection, she realized that it would probably be wiser to wait for Dr. Lang to arrive, or even to call for a few soldiers. The people doing this could easily be anti-unification spies or rogue government agents. They could be from the United Arab Empire, or the Liberty Party. They could even be from a government agency that is being threatened with disbandment when the United Earth Government is formally established and they are here to get a new toehold on power.

Taking off her lab coat and sitting down on a nearby beach chair, she attempted to look like someone enjoying the day at the beach.

After a ten minute wait, during which she saw several people enter and leave the various structures, she finally noticed Dr. Lang walking along the beach, staring at his scanner. Waving to get his attention, Dr. Wiget stood up.

"These are the closest buildings to the coordinates, but I felt I should wait for you before going in." She murmured. "Do you think we should call some soldiers to help? I realized this could be more dangerous than I originally thought."

Dr. Lang flashed his enigmatic smile and attempted to reassure her. "Come my dear, I don't think that anyone here is going to harm us, let us go look around."

***

Ranma glanced at his new watch, a graduation gift from Nabiki, and noticed that it was almost time to head back to get ready for work. Standing up, he stretched and looked over his clothing to make sure that he was presentable. Noticing several ragged holes in the back of his pant legs, Ranma realized that he was going to have to stop and get something else to wear for the walk home.

Grabbing his pack, Ranma left his wonderful new training grounds and walked towards a set of shops that he knew sold clothing. The last time he had been there was after Nabiki insisted that he replace a ripped shirt of hers, damaged in a training accident. Fortunately that was the only thing damaged, other than his wallet of course. Walking into one of the shops, Ranma ignored most of the other people browsing through the clothes. A man and woman did get a second glance from him though. Dressed in long white coats and carrying some sort of electronic devices, which they swung around them as they shopped, the duo were walking around the shop, but didn't appear to be looking at the merchandise.

Shrugging to himself, Ranma grabbed a pair of pants and ducked into a changing room, closing the door behind him. He was understandably startled therefore, when while he was standing with his pants down, the door opened and the woman swung her device into the room before noticing him and his state of undress. Blushing, she looked away while mumbling an apology and shut the door.

Ranma stood there for a few seconds, surprised that she had apparently forgotten to yell pervert and hit him. Not wanting to push his luck, he quickly changed into the new pants and left the changing room. Walking up to the counter to pay, he tried not to stare at faintly blushing blond standing near the window.

By the time he was done purchasing his new pants, the man and woman walked past him, heading for the door. Ranma followed them out the door and on a whim, waved to the woman as he took off towards town. Her blush once again stained her cheeks.

***

Wednesday morning dawned bright and shiny, without a cloud in the sky. The day was so perfect that Ranma decided to take a quick run down to the beach in order to attempt a modification he had thought of for manipulating nature's ki. Rather than wasting the rest of the week, he felt that the opportunity was a good one and he would be careful not to knock himself out again and be late for work.

***

A loud alarm pierced the lab. Installed the day before, this alarm was put in to let the team know instantly if the sensors detected another buildup of energy. Dashing out of their offices, Lang confirmed that the distance and general bearing matched the previous incidents, so the three ran to get into their vehicles and head to the beach.

***

As Ranma was walking home, he saw that quirky blond wandering up the beach. She still had her little handheld device, but instead of paying attention to it, this time she was staring at everyone she passed and looking under beach umbrellas.

As he walked by her, Ranma again smiled and gave a little wave. She stared at him for a second, as if looking for something, but then suddenly blushed and continued walking.

Ranma grinned and continued walking home to prepare for work. Being on this side of things was a nice change. Usually he was the one who did something to be embarrassed about.

***

Dr. Gina Wiget was frustrated. This was a condition that frightened many people, because when this scientist was frustrated she had a tendency to do something rash. There was the time at CERN when she accidentally destroyed a nearby vacuum chamber while testing a modified electron beam generator without realizing how powerful the enhanced output was going to be. Fortunately the chamber was empty and her generator was a success, but that was the standard of her career it seemed, out of near disasters or even explosions, she would come out somehow ahead.

Now she had a new problem. Someone was playing with technology that they shouldn't have and she was unable to track them down. There had to be a way to narrow the search area.

"That's it!" She cried as the obvious solution came to her. A network of detectors linked together and placed throughout the area would be able to pinpoint the location of the next test. Grabbing her laptop, she quickly brought up design of the original portable detectors and started making the necessary modifications to allow networking and remote broadcasting. She ensured that the output would be encrypted and the whole thing could be run from her PDA, once the distributed sensor network was built and operational.

Standing up, she strode over to one of her supply cabinets for materials. She could probably have them ready by tomorrow, if she worked into the night.

***

After placing her new sensors on Friday morning, Dr. Wiget was happily back at work on her normal projects, waiting patiently for her inventions to tell her everything she needed to know in order to find the people responsible for her lack of sleep during this past week. Constant worries about enemy agents and possible spies made her wake up several times during the night. But the next time those same people tried to test their equipment, she would be ready for them, along with a platoon of soldiers just to be on the safe side. No sense in being foolish.

***

At nearly noon on Saturday morning, an irritated Ranma once again entered what he was already thinking of as _his_ clearing. Wearing only a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, Ranma was without his pack this time.

His frown lightened a bit as he caught sight of his martial arts refuge. Taking deep breaths to calm down and relax, Ranma tried to forget about all of the delays he had to work through that morning.

First Nabiki had insisted on getting the apartment cleaned up, and then he found out that they were almost out of food so he had to run to the store to buy groceries. When he got home, Nabiki asked him to make breakfast for the two of them. She wanted to find out from him how work and his training trip was going, asking if he would be ready to enroll in college classes soon. He was delayed nearly another hour for that strangely nice, but also slightly irritating conversation.

When he finally managed to leave the apartment, there was a traffic accident right in front of him and the authorities asked him for a statement. Arriving at the beach, a crying little girl asked him if he had seen her mother. There wasn't anything else to do but help the child locate her missing parent. Fortunately it only took twenty minutes for them to find the grateful woman.

Finishing his breathing exercises, Ranma sat down in lotus position to begin practicing. It took him several attempts to achieve the proper meditative focus, but soon enough Ranma was delving into the world of energy surrounding and flowing through him. Focusing his own ki between his fingers, he began to weave it through some of the ki in the grass, attempting to form a lattice of ki to control the natural energy.

He felt it a split second before it happened, a strand of natural energy somehow absorbed part of his ki, resulting in a weakening of the lattice in one segment. He could feel it rapidly unraveling so he decided to push the ki away into the dirt in an attempt to ground the gathering energy. The resulting explosion of dust was not nearly as painful as the previous failures, but it still was not pleasant.

Standing up, Ranma decided that he was too dirty and agitated to continue. Maybe if he wasn't so wound up, that mistake would not have happened. Looking around he decided a short swim in the ocean would solve both problems. The workout would calm him down and the water would clean off the dirt.

Walking down to the shoreline, Ranma was pleased that the nearest swimmers were at least twenty yards away. At that distance Ranma was certain they had not heard his little mishap and he doubted they were watching him closely enough to spot the change when he entered the water. Kicking off his slippers, Ranma ran into the waves. Feeling his gender change the instant his toes touched the water, she continued on, diving forward as waves got to her waist.

***

With the army driver and escort, Dr. Wiget was certain that this trip from the ship to the ocean took less than five minutes. Running down the beach with the soldiers following, she looked at her PDA using it to guide her. The location that it reported was much further down the beach than they had looked the other times. Passing the last of the sunbathers enjoying their weekend, she continued along the beach, finally turning and passing through a stand of trees. Once inside the little clearing, she looked around in confusion.

"There's nothing here!" She groaned.

Turning to the Sergeant leading her little detachment of soldiers she asked him to have his men spread out and look for anything unusual, anything at all no matter how small.

Dr. Wiget leaned against a nearby tree for a couple of minutes, barely resisting the urge to bang her head upon it. Finally she stood up and looked around. Her soldiers were obviously used to this kind of request because they were quietly and efficiently scouring the clearing.

Deciding to get out of their way, she hiked back down to the sand and stood for a bit admiring the glorious sight of the blue ocean stretching off into the horizon, with a pair of naval vessels anchored in the harbor and a pod of dolphins in the distance.

Shifting her attention closer, she noticed a person swimming maybe fifty meters out in the surf. Spotting a pair of slippers discarded near the surf, she realized that this person might have seen whoever was here earlier. Just as she was stepping forward to find a way of signaling the swimmer, she heard someone calling her name.

"Gina, there you are." Dr. Lang waved as he approached, leading a much larger collection of soldiers than the handful that had rushed down with her.

"What did you find?" He asked more quietly as he got close enough for them to speak without beachgoers overhearing.

Kicking the sand with her foot, Dr. Wiget replied, "Nothing Doctor, they were already gone when we arrived. But according to the sensors, it originated from the clearing up beyond those trees, I have the soldiers searching the area."

Glancing where she indicated, Dr. Lang waved over the nearby officer. "Take your men into the trees there and coordinate with the soldiers already there to search the entire area. I want every rock and leaf turned over. Find me something, Lieutenant."

They both watched as the soldiers entered the tree line. "Well I guess I can leave it up to you, Gina. I'm going to head back to the lab; I left a plasma converter in a rather delicate condition. Call me if you find anything." With a sympathetic smile, Dr. Lang turned to amble back to his vehicle.

After watching him disappear, Gina pulled out her PDA to double check her readings. After ensuring that there was no mistake in the epicenter, she turned back to gaze at the ocean again.

Wading out of the surf, a redheaded teenager was approaching. Dr. Wiget was surprised that instead of a getting a tan in a fashionable bikini, this young girl was dressed in dripping shorts and a soaking wet t-shirt, obviously without a bra. Looking at the girl's face, Gina was puzzled when the look of faint curiosity apparent in her features transformed into a grin. The girl waved as if she knew who Gina was, then stopped to collect her slippers.

Striding up to her, Dr. Wiget hoped that the girl was observant enough to have seen something earlier. "Hello miss, could I ask you a question or two?"

Smiling, the teen nodded. "Sure, what do ya need?"

"Did you see anyone enter or leave this area a in the past thirty minutes or so?"

"Other than you and your friends? Sorry, but I only arrived a little while before you." The teen answered politely.

Gina was disappointed, but still remained confident that it was only a matter of time before she tracked down the offenders.

Pointing at Dr. Wiget's PDA, the girl chuckled, "Got a smaller piece of equipment today, huh?"

"I beg your pardon? Have we met before young lady?"

"Oh sorry, my name's .. Ranko. Yeah, I saw you the other day down at the clothing store. We didn't really meet, but you were carrying something bigger than that and peeking into changing rooms." The teen grinned at the sudden blush that suffused the doctor's face.

Nodding at the soldiers visible through the trees and ones further up the beach, the red head responded with her own query. "Are you guys going to be here long today? I came here for the peace and quiet, but I can always come back later. I had a good swim and cooled down already."

"Nice to meet you Miss Ranko, my name is Gina Wiget, I am a doctor with the UN staff here. I'm afraid we will probably be here for quite a while today, it could be several hours." Dr. Wiget answered with an apologetic shrug. "We are looking for someone and it could take some time to find them."

"Ok, good luck with your search. I guess I'll head home for the day then." With another wave, the teen started jogging back up the beach, heading to town.

Dr. Wiget watched her go, noting her smooth and effortless stride, like an athlete's. Finally she turned back to the tree line and went to see how her soldiers were progressing in their search, hoping they had discovered something.

***

The sun was still kissing the ocean on the horizon when Ranma jogged into his clearing. Pleased that it was abandoned once again, he continued to his normal spot in the grass. Setting his breakfast down, he started meditating.

This morning Ranma had gotten up early in an attempt to leave the apartment before Nabiki could wake up and assign him another chore to do before he could go practice. Instead of eating breakfast, he simply filled a bento with some leftovers and headed out the door.

Just as he was starting to interweave the ki, his stomach rumbled loudly, demanding attention. The unexpected interruption broke his concentration and he could only watch silently as the energy whipped away from his ki threads and spun away from him like a miniature tornado. Right through where his bento was sitting.

"Aw man! My breakfast, now what am I supposed to do?" Knowing that unless he ate something, he would probably be unable to focus enough to get anywhere, Ranma decided to run over to the beachfront food stands. Gathering up the mess at amaguriken speed, he threw it into the empty box and took off out of the clearing on a mission for life-giving sustenance.

As he sat down and ordered a bowl of miso soup with fish and pickles, Ranma once again saw a crowd of military people rushing down the beach. Noticing that doctor lady from the day before hurrying past, he waved to get her attention and grinned when she looked embarrassed as she continued running up the beach with the soldiers.

Figuring that they must not have found the person they were looking for the day before, Ranma decided to wait a few hours and hope they left before too long. He really wanted to get at least one decent practice session in this week.

***

Dr. Gina Wiget could be called many things; brilliant, intuitive, friendly and other people would no doubt add other adjectives to that list. Someone reading the whole list would probably notice that the word patience was not on it. When it came right down to it, Gina hated being denied something or being forced to wait.

"Sergeant, I think we've done enough searching for today, gather up your men and follow me. I think this person is playing with us. That's fine, I can play just as well as they can. We're going to leave, but once we are a block away, we are going to wait and see if they are ballsy enough turn it on again today. My money is on them being overconfident in our slow reaction times.

***

It had taken almost half the day, but finally the soldiers left. Ranma finished his afternoon snack and walked over to the clearing. He finally had peace and quiet to experiment with his new ki training. Concentrating, he started focusing his mind onto the task before him.

This time he could feel it working, there were a couple of instances where the ki thinned out and almost lost containment, but he quickly reinforced those points and continued building his energy field.

Success! It was finally finished, to his eyes there was a glowing lattice of ki in front of him, guiding natural strands of energy, just waiting for him to attempt the next stage. Moving slowly and carefully, he started lifting the structure into the air, attempting to separate the natural energy from the ground.

Right in the middle of this delicate operation, Ranma detected movement nearby. Focusing on what he was doing, he decided to ignore the distraction. It was probably an animal or a beachgoer, either way they would probably leave him alone.

Suddenly his warning sense threw up an alert and without conscious thought he threw himself to the side, rolling into a defensive stance. The ki structure disintegrated instantly, releasing the energy back into the ground acted like a stone thrown into a pond, creating a wave of energy that knocked Ranma and the two soldiers that were standing next to where he had been sitting, off their feet.

"Dang it," Ranma sighed as he sat upright. Looking around, he noticed that the soldiers and doctor lady were back in his clearing again. "Back again? Are you still looking for somebody, doctor?" He waved tiredly at her. "I had hoped you were gone for the day. But I guess if you are still here, I'll just head home and come back another time. Good luck in your search."

Standing up, Ranma was quite surprised when he was suddenly surrounded by a group of the soldiers. Others were helping the first two back to their feet.

"Um, sorry about that, I didn't mean for them to get hurt or nothin'." He tried to apologize to the soldiers.

"It's you!"

Looking over at the doctor, Ranma saw that she was pointing at him. "Huh?"

"You're the one causing all of this. You've been playing me the whole time, haven't you? I bet you've had quite a few laughs at my expense." Marching up to him, she finished her comments waving her finger in his face.

"Huh?" Ranma repeated his elegant response.

"Well buster, now you are coming with us. We have a special place for guys like you. Guys who like to make fun of women and laugh at us while we run around trying to find you." Grinning triumphantly she stepped away and gestured to the soldiers around him. "Take him away, boys. We'll let Dr. Lang decide what to do with him."

"Huh?!" Ranma couldn't figure out what else to say, here he was being accused of something, and he didn't even know what it was about. As the soldiers grabbed him, Ranma tensed to break away and make a run for it, when he remembered what Nabiki had beat into his head. *Always obey the UN military forces on the island and never ever get into a fight with any of them. You'll only get us kicked out or arrested.*

Relaxing his muscles, Ranma sighed and allowed his hands to be bound behind him. He was escorted out of his clearing and up the beach to a collection of military vehicles parked on the sand a short distance away. A curious crowd of onlookers was gathered beyond them, held back by additional soldiers.

The soldiers guiding him, pushed him into one of the oversized metal cars and followed him in. On the inside, there were benches running along the walls and Ranma was thrust into the one furthest forward. The rest of the seating was soon filled with soldiers and he felt the rumble through the seat as the vehicle came to life.

Ranma had rarely ridden in many vehicles while growing up. Other than boats, he had only ridden the occasional bus or train. This was a completely new experience to him and he was starting to enjoy it even though he was under arrest. After all, he knew that he was innocent of whatever it was they thought he did. So he decided to sit back and enjoy the ride.

He had seen cars on the streets of course, but none of them were even a quarter of the size of this metal monster. The occasional delivery truck would probably be closer to the right size, but judging by the thickness of the door, this vehicle was much heavier. This vehicle might even be comparable to the heavy caterpillar construction equipment used around the job sites. Watching those same vehicles push dirt and lift materials he was well aware of how powerful they were.

During his long training trip he called his childhood, he remembered seeing the occasional military formations around the country. After all, they were at war. He never actually saw any of the fighting though, so he could only listen to what his father said about the military protecting them from invaders who wanted to take over the country. He did one time see the results of a warhead once hitting near a small town they were staying in.

This vehicle was pretty interesting though, out of curiosity he concentrated as he looked at the wall across from him. Searching for the breaking point that he knew all inanimate things have, he was surprised to see not one central breaking point, but many tiny points all near one another. Whatever unusual metal this vehicle was made from, it would take forever to use the Baku-sai-ten-ketsu to break through it. He wasn't even sure if he could make much of a dent if he punched it. He doubted the military would be happy with him if he tried though, so Ranma sat quietly and enjoyed the ride while it lasted.

Looking at the soldiers across from him, he noticed that they were all watching him closely, as if they expected him to attempt to escape. Instead he smiled at them and leaned back in his seat. Belatedly he realized that these soldiers weren't dressed like the army guys he normally saw patrolling the streets of the town. He was starting to wish he had paid more attention to the structure of the UN military, but he didn't remember any of his classes really covering the subject that closely.

Ten minutes later, the pigtailed martial artist felt the vehicle come to a stop. When he was escorted out of it, he was only half surprised to see the towering structure of the enormous spaceship rising above him. He didn't have much time for sightseeing though as his formidable outriders moved him towards a doorway guarded by more soldiers.

Once inside the building, they entered an elevator that took them up several stories. When it reached it's destination, they exited to come face to face with more guards in front of an entryway to the spaceship itself.

Entering the ship, Ranma was hit by the sensation that he was surrounded by power. He didn't understand it, but it felt like there was an enormously powerful martial artist in the area. Somebody with unparallel power, who could put everyone he knew including Happosai, Saffron and himself all added together, to shame. As distracted as he was, Ranma was able to pay close enough attention so as not to be confused by all of the twists and turns they made through the corridors. Finally they stopped at a doorway and ushered him inside, closing the doorway behind him.

A short while later, a group of the soldiers entered and started patting him down. He submitted to this, still not wanting to cause any trouble. He was more afraid of Nabiki than of what the UN might do to him. After taking his watch and the remnants of a bag of candy he had bought that afternoon while waiting, the one in charge asked Ranma his name and business on the island.

"I'm Ranma Saotome of the Musabetsu Kakuto Saotome Ryu. I just graduated high school and work part time for Miyagi Construction & Building Supply.

The soldier wrote down what Ranma said, then gestured for the others to unlock his restraints. After that they left the room, locking it securely.

Ranma settled in to se what happened next, still confident that they would realize they had the wrong person.

***

An hour later and the bored martial artist was starting to do some simple katas that could be performed in small, enclosed spaces.

Finally, though he didn't know the time without a watch or a window to look outside, the door opened and his escorts came back inside. He let them secure his hands again, and then walked between them as they led him out the door and down the hallway. They led him into another room, this one had a table in the middle and in one of the seats was that doctor lady, along with a couple of men, dressed in white coats like her. In the corners there were several additional soldiers, soon joined by his own pair after they planted him in a seat.

Turning his attention to the people seated at the table with him, Ranma saw that they were all staring at him, like vultures watching a dying rabbit, or a pack of dogs eying a tree they wanted to mark.

"Alright young man, where is it?" The oldest of the men finally broke the silence.

"Huh?" Where's what?" Ranma looked at them, confused.

"Where is the protoculture-cell energizer?" The doctor answered, leaning forward in her chair.

"A horticulture-sell ener-whatsit?"

The trio across from him didn't seem interested in correcting his bewildered response.

"Don't play games with us young man, I'm afraid you'll find that this is a serious matter." The man sitting on the other side of the doctor stated.

"I think you people have the wrong person. I know that the doctor lady was searching for someone, but I think she made a simple mistake. I'm sure that if you check, you'll find that I'm not the guy you are looking for. I've never even seen a protomulcher-bell thingamajig" Ranma felt more confident with his clever reply.

"Of course not, that is why we found you sitting in the exact location that our sensors detected. That's why you repeatedly mocked me with your presence during the week, knowing that I was unaware of your involvement. The evidence of your innocence is a bit underwhelming. So where is the 'cell-energizer? It's obvious that you must have heard us coming and got rid of it, where did you hide it? We turned that clearing and the ground around it inside out searching, but haven't been able to figure out what you did with it."

"I'm sorry lady, but I have no idea what you are talking about, I was just minding my own business, practicing martial arts when you guys barged in and arrested me. I didn't get rid of nothin', crazy lady." Ranma snapped back.

Sadly the line of questioning went slightly downhill from there…

***

When he was finally escorted back to his cell, Ranma was kind of regretting that comment where he called the doctor crazy, or later when he referred to the lot of them as a trio of nutcases with nothing better to do. Those probably were not the best statements to defuse the situation and get him out of the predicament he found himself in. Still, they kept talking about proto-whatsit-cell energizing and accusing him of doing it. The whole conversation on their side was mystifying. He didn't understand half of what they said. Well, except for the insults he was trading with the doctor lady, she knew some pretty good ones. She made one comment that he wasn't sure he knew the meaning of, but based on her grin at the time, it wasn't a compliment.

Oh well, they would eventually discover that they made a mistake and would release him. Hearing a sound at the door, Ranma was convinced that was about to happen.

"Here's your dinner, kid. Eat up."

Ok, so they weren't letting him go, but at least he was being fed. That was a plus in his book. The dinner didn't come with an eating utensil, but that was ok. Ranma recognized military rations, during his childhood his father would occasionally leave camp in the evenings, then come back later with a bundle of them. They tasted as good as his father's cooking and a million times better than _meals_ the tomboy used to cook.

That memory caused him to bow his head for a while, determined not to cry in front of the camera in the corner of the room. Finally he recovered and finished his dinner. Shockingly the food was actually somewhat tasty. Of course it didn't compare to eating at a restaurant and it wasn't even close to Kasumi's delicious creations, but it was much tastier than he remembered.

After he finished and the guards removed the tray, he sat down on the bed determined to wait them out. Some time later he finally fell asleep. When he woke up, he looked at the camera and asked when he was going to be released. The lack of response didn't provide much of an answer, but he wasn't really expecting one.

Lunch came and went, similar to dinner the night before. He spent the afternoon running through all of the various kata he could fit into his cell, and then he did a few where he literally bounced off the walls.

When dinner came, he asked the guard how long he was going to be held prisoner.

"Till you answer their questions and they either let you go or decide to do something else with you," Was the soldier's shrugged response.

This dismayed Ranma. He knew that he had already missed a day of work now, plus Nabiki was going to be pissed at him no matter what happened from here on. It was time to start being a bit more proactive in his imprisonment. That meant unsealing a technique that was sealed for a good reason.

Hatching his plan, he calmly pulled the sheet from his bed while eating his dinner. Finishing off the last of the meal, he twirled the sheet in front of him. "Umi-senken," The word seemed to hang in the suddenly empty room.

When the guards burst in to confirm what the security camera was showing, all they found was an empty room. Claxons erupted throughout the ship, causing Marines to tumble out of their beds, reaching for their gear to join their fellow soldiers. The alien spaceship was suddenly as active as a hornet's nest kicked by a child.

***

Nabiki was sitting at the dinner table, wondering where Ranma was at. When she stopped to walk home with him, his boss mentioned that he hadn't shown up for work. She had hurried home to find out if he was sick, but there was no sign of the pigtailed boy anywhere. It appeared as if he never returned from this weekend's training trip.

Growing a little worried, she had walked to his favorite restaurant and from there down to the beach, but didn't see Ranma anywhere. Since she didn't know exactly where his new training ground was, she was unable to go directly there. Finally she returned to the apartment to eat and consider her options. In an hour or so the sun would go down and finding Ranma's secret training location in the dark would be impossible.

She started weighing the pros and cons of waiting until morning to see if he came home on his own, or calling the authorities to report a missing person. If he had lost track of time and was fine, then waiting to see if he returned in the morning would be best. But if he was hurt, or lying unconscious somewhere because of an unforeseen training accident, then calling the authorities now could be important.

Another thought worried the brunette though, what if despite Ranma's claims to the contrary, his training grounds of choice were located in the Restricted Zone. Right now Ranma could be in military custody and the UN might be getting ready to throw them both off the island!

Losing her appetite, Nabiki started pushing her food around her plate while she thought. Finally, she stood up and walked over to the phone.

Before she could finish dialing, the front door burst open. Ranma practically flew into the room, slamming the door and locking it behind him.

"I swear I didn't do anything wrong!" He gasped out, as he ducked down to crawl over to the window and peek around the curtains.

Nabiki slowly lowered the phone and just stared at the crouching martial artist. The last time she had seen Ranma look like this was after the first time Xian Pu appeared. The Chinese warrior had been hunting his female half while attempting to marry the male.

Walking over to the window, she glanced out and nearly fell over when she saw a line of military vehicles filling the street, with what looked like dozens of heavily armed soldiers pouring out of them.

Locking her gaze on Ranma, she gave the heir of the Musabetsu Kakuto Ryu her coldest glare. "What did you do this time, Saotome?"

****

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Ahh, finally the two worlds have met. It's good to know Ranma still has that innate ability to charm the ladies. If you have any questions comments or concerns, please post a review.

****

Thanks to my beta Demonlord87 for cleaning up my sentences.

If anyone with strong knowledge of the Robotech or even the Macross universe would like to be a beta reader, I would appreciate it. I have some ideas that I want to use, but I would like someone to bounce them off of first.

****

Till next time,

Queberjeque


	5. Into the Frying Pan

Disclaimer: I still do not own Ranma ½ or Robotech, they are the property of Rumiko Takahashi and Harmony Gold, respectively.

*******

**Recovering Hearts**

A Ranma½ / Robotech crossover.

By Queberjeque

***

Author's Note: There are some ideas and names that I am going to use from the Macross series, rather than from the Robotech series. Since Robotech has some glaring continuity holes, I am going to try and fix them over the course of this story, by taking elements from Macross. Protoculture is still going to play a vital role as an energy source, but it won't be the be-all-end-all energy it is in Robotech.

~phone conversation~

***

Chapter 5

'**Into the Frying Pan'**

October, 2002

***

"Let me see if I have this straight, Saotome. You were out practicing when a crazy lady leading a bunch of soldiers kidnapped you. They then held you prisoner for the past couple of days, asking you questions you didn't understand and accusing you of various offenses. Then tonight, you escaped using your father's techniques, which if I remember correctly you supposedly sealed, though we can talk about that later, and you proceeded to return here, with them following you. Does that about sum up your weekend?" Nabiki drawled.

Wincing a few times during her recitation, Ranma sheepishly nodded. "But I swear it wasn't my fault, I didn't do anything this time!"

"Of course not. Well, you may have really stuck your foot in it this time, but I'll see what I can do." She reassured him. "I don't want them kicking me off the island because of you. Oh yeah, I wouldn't want to see you go to prison, either. Don't worry about it, I'll just put it on your tab."

***

Dr. Wiget looked at the apartment building the sergeant was pointing out to her. "Is that where he lives?"

"Yes ma'am, at least according to the city records. One Ranma Saotome is a resident in apartment 304, along with a female by the name of Nabiki Tendo.

"Well, since we don't know what they have in there, you better secure the area and evacuate the building. We don't want this turning into a hostage situation. I'm sure you probably know what else to do in this kind of situation, so don't let me get in your way. But see if you can find me a phone number to his apartment, we'll need to open a line of communication to try and resolve this peacefully." With that the doctor nodded to the Marine sergeant, then wandered over to a nearby bench with a good view of the area. Opening up her laptop, she got to work.

"Let's see what else I can find out about you, Mr. Saotome." She muttered to herself while perusing the city records.

***

"Ma'am?"

"Doctor?"

Dr. Wiget looked up as the voice of the officer in charge of the Marines finally got her attention.

"Ma'am, the area is evacuated and the rest of the building is secure." The lieutenant waved at the soldiers in defensive positions up and down the street. "We have a phone number for you as well, registered to one Nabiki Tendo. Also an officer from the Army is insisting on taking control of the situation. We told him this falls under the purview of the UN scientific team rather than city security, but he insists on talking to you."

"Very well, show him over, and then give me that number."

***

After a short interview that sent the young Army officer scurrying out of the area, Dr. Wiget pulled out her cell phone and dialed the number the lieutenant had given her.

They were apparently awaiting the call because it was picked up before the first ring was finished.

~Hello?~

"Hello, this is Dr. Gina Wiget of the UN scientific team, with whom am I speaking?"

~My name is Nabiki Tendo. I understand there was some sort of misunderstanding between yourselves and my … client, Ranma Saotome this afternoon.~

"A misunderstanding? Not as far as we are concerned. Your _client_ is wanted for illegal possession of alien technology as well as espionage. I suggest you tell him to give himself up and turn over the alien device."

~I see, and just what device of alien technology is he supposed to have in his possession?~

"A highly classified piece of equipment. I cannot say anymore on that subject over the telephone." Dr. Wiget replied, before making another attempt at a peaceful solution. "Tell your boyfriend to turn himself in, please. We don't want anybody to get hurt."

~Boyfriend? No he's not that, but I definitely agree that nobody needs to get hurt over a mix-up like this. How about this, I get Ranma to agree to return with you, and I come with to handle his defense. Ranma is not the most diplomatic of speakers, with me doing the talking for him, I am sure we can resolve this _misunderstanding_.~

Thinking about it for a couple of seconds, the doctor decided it was a good plan. "Agreed, both of you come out with your hands in the air and let the soldiers take you into custody. Then we can deal with this situation in a more secure location."

~We will be right down.~

Click

Turning to the officer standing next to her, Dr. Wiget put a smile on her face. "The target and one Nabiki Tendo will be coming down to turn themselves in, please take them into custody and back to the ship."

***

Looking around at the seemingly endless corridors, Nabiki was impressed with the alien spaceship. Though most doors were closed, they had passed a couple of open ones, allowing her glimpses of strange machinery as well as the occasional group of technicians.

When Ranma and she had exited the building, they were immediately taken into custody. Though the military personnel were fairly courteous with her, they made sure that Ranma was well restrained. After reaching the ship, both of them were escorted to separate cells and left to wait. It irritated Nabiki, but she figured that it was the price she had to pay in order to see the insides of the ship that was the sole reason that the global civil war had ended a few years ago.

Turning down yet another hallway, her escorts stopped at the first doorway and gestured for her to enter. Inside Nabiki found a trio of scientists and a pair of military officers seated at a conference table. With her guides taking positions near the doorway, she nodded to the people at the table and took a seat across from them.

"My name is Nabiki Tendo, I am here to represent Ranma Saotome."

They acknowledged her greeting and one of the scientists pointed to the various seated figures. "Down on the far end we have Lieutenant Colonel Lionel Mandrake and Major Tom Dietrich of the UN Marines. This is Dr. Gina Wiget, I understand you have already spoken with her over the phone, and of course our lead scientist Dr. Emil Lang, my name is Dr. Robert Jordache."

"Thank you for allowing me the honor of this meeting. I am hoping we can come to some sort of understanding about what must be a mistake. Ranma can be brash, overconfident and somewhat insulting, but he is also naïve, honest and technically lacking in most areas. What makes you think that Ranma has some forbidden technology or what is even more ridiculous, is involved in espionage?" Nabiki smoothly delivered her opening statement.

Sliding a piece of paper across the table, Dr. Lang responded. "Our sensors picked up traces of a protoculture-cell energizer being tested on the island, outside of the SDF-1. Upon searching for the source of the readings, they disappeared. As you can see on that report, the readings reappeared multiple times over the past week. Each occurrence only lasted for a short period of time. During our investigation, your friend Ranma was discovered in the area several times. Yesterday he was found directly on top of where the sensors were detecting the output of the rogue 'cell-energizer. When we apprehended him, he knocked over several of our men while trying to escape before he gave up. When questioned, he claimed to have no knowledge and refused to tell us where he hid the device. Earlier tonight he escaped from confinement and fled to you."

Examining the paper, Nabiki noted that it contained a list of dates and times that the UN team had picked up their anomalous sensor readings. "There must have been a misinterpretation of the sensor data, for I can assure you that Ranma couldn't tell a protoculture-cell energizer from a personal computer."

"I assure you that the results we reached were sound. The three of us each looked at the data and independently came up with the same conclusion." Dr. Wiget declared passionately.

"Of course you did. Maybe it would help me understand what we are referring to if you were to tell me just what a protoculture-cell energizer is?"

Dr. Lang cleared his throat, "I will give you a very brief overview. A protoculture-cell energizer takes raw protoculture and converts it into a bio-energy-releasing power source, used to power advanced weaponry."

"Protoculture?" Nabiki asked.

"A fuel source we discovered in this alien spacecraft."

"I see, thank you for the explanation."

Dr. Jordache spoke up, "There have been several attempts to infiltrate the UN scientific mission here by nations seeking alien technology to use for themselves. Just three months ago there was a major assault by anti-unification forces, perhaps you remember that? That is why we are taking this so seriously, espionage is one of our biggest threats."

Feeling slightly nervous, but maintaining her calm appearance, Nabiki decided it was time to get more information from Ranma. 'I fully understand your position, Doctor. The security of this island and the secrets of this spaceship should be a top priority. Perhaps I could speak privately with Ranma, I think I need more information from him about what he was doing and what he might have seen."

For the first time, one of the military officers at the table responded. "Miss Tendo, if you will accompany me, I will take you to a room where you can talk with the prisoner."

Nabiki stood up and nodded to the officer, "Thank you, Major Dietrich was it?"

After respectfully bowing to the persons still seated at the table, Nabiki followed the UN Marine officer.

***

"You stirred up a hornet's nest this time, Saotome."

Seated at a tiny table, Nabiki shook her head at Ranma's crestfallen expression. "Oh don't worry, I doubt you'll have to spend too much time in prison."

"But I didn't do anything, you have to believe me!" The martial artist started banging his head on the table.

"Of course I believe you Ranma, you are like a brother to me. Unfortunately, the UN doesn't believe you. They have sensor records showing some kind of readout near where you were at. Did you see anything unusual while you were training?"

Ranma scrunched up his face in concentration. "Not that I remember, I was focusing on my new ki techniques. They blew up on me a couple of times, so I had to pay attention to what I was doing."

"Rats, I was hoping you had seen some… wait just a second. What exactly are you new ki techniques? Are they really that much different from your old ones? For that matter, have you practiced any of your other ki abilities since we arrived on the island?" Nabiki eagerly asked.

Looking up at the Tendo sister, Ranma shook his head no. "After we got on the boat ride here, I was so full of hatred towards the Joketsuzoku that I was worried about becoming another Ryoga. I didn't do any ki techniques until after I made sure I wasn't going to go down the same path as him."

"That's a surprisingly wise and mature decision Ranma." Nabiki approved. "Now tell me about these new techniques that you have been working on."

Shifting in his seat, Ranma sat for a moment, and then finally responded. "Well, I wasn't planning on telling anybody about them until I figured everything out, but I guess I can tell you now. I've been attempting to use my ki to control the energy flowing through nature. After all, ki is a life force that every living thing gives off and that energy flows through the world, unseen by most people."

Ranma proudly puffed up then, "I learned how to see and touch it lately, but I am still working on influencing or controlling it in a useful manner."

Shrugging he grinned, "So far it usually blows up in my face, or else the energy escapes and surges away."

Nabiki sat quietly as her mind finished making the connections. She knew there had to be a way to turn this into something profitable.

She didn't even notice when Ranma called her name, then waved his hand in front of her face. Finally he settled down in his chair and tried to stay awake.

***

When the idea came to her, it seemed almost too outrageous. The risks were fairly large, possible prison sentences and nearly definite removal from the safety of South Ataria Island if she failed. However, the possible benefits were commensurately good. She could have the two of them set for life with this deal.

No, she _would_ have the two of them set for life with this deal.

She smelled profit. Not monetary profit, but the kind of treasure that she had been bemoaning having to do without, ever since they came to the island.

_Contacts, Influence, Power_

In Tokyo she had hundreds of people she who worked for her, owed her favors, or had done something that she had proof of. Blackmail may be an ugly song, but she knew how to hum a few bars of it. If she handled this situation correctly, it was the perfect opportunity to get a bunch of favors from some very influential people. Plus Ranma would owe her again. It was a win-win scenario in her book.

Nodding to herself, Nabiki looked up to see Ranma sleeping in the other chair. Grinning, she tried to kick him in the shin. "Time to get up, Saotome."

As his body automatically avoided the attack, Ranma's chair tipped over and sent him tumbling onto the floor of the cramped room. "Hey, what was that for?"

"Sorry about that, but I was just trying to wake you up. You fell over on your own." She smiled; it was good to get one over on the martial arts genius.

"Well Saotome, like I said before, you are in a lot of trouble this time. You might even be facing life imprisonment." Nabiki knew she had to get Ranma into the right state of mind for him to agree to her plan.

"Great, I finally get away from my father, and now is when I end up in jail." Ranma grumbled.

Hiding her smirk, Nabiki baited the hook. "There is a slight chance that you won't have to go to prison."

"Really?" Ranma's eyes shown with sudden hope as he took the bait.

Setting the hook, Nabiki continued. "Yes, but you won't get off free. I'm sure there will be some duties you will have to perform, it could be long, hard work."

"I don't care, hard work is good training."

"You have to swear on your honor that you will agree with whatever sentence I am able to get for you." Letting a little line play out Nabiki was almost ready to reel him in.

"Sure thing, I know you won't cheat me too badly, you may be sneaky, but you are still like family to me. I don't want to go to prison, but I also don't want to be on the run from the government for the rest of my life." Ranma was nearly breathless with relief.

Digging into her purse, Nabiki pulled out a pen and a document that she had prepared years ago, just waiting for the right opportunity. It was time to reel in the wild horse. "Then all you have to do is sign this piece of paper and I'll handle everything."

"What is it?" Ranma asked as he reached for the items.

Nonchalantly Nabiki replied. "It just proves that I am authorized to negotiate for you, that's all."

After Ranma signed the contract naming Nabiki as his official agent, she snapped it up and put it back into her purse.

"Just keep behaving yourself and I'll take care of everything." With that, Nabiki stood and walked over to the door. The next step would be difficult, but she was very good at what she did.

****

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I'll probably post chapter six in a couple of days, once chapter seven is finished.

**

If you have any questions comments or concerns, please post a review.

**

Thanks to my beta Demonlord87.

If anyone with strong knowledge of the Robotech or even the Macross universe would like to be a beta reader, I would appreciate it. I have some ideas that I want to use, but I would like someone to bounce them off of first.

****

Till next time,

Queberjeque


	6. Out of the Fire

Disclaimer: I still do not own Ranma ½ or Robotech, they are the property of Rumiko Takahashi and Harmony Gold, respectively.

*******

**Recovering Hearts**

A Ranma½ / Robotech crossover.

By Queberjeque

***

Author's Note: There are some ideas and names that I am going to use from the Macross series, rather than from the Robotech series. Since Robotech has some glaring continuity holes, I am going to try and fix them over the course of this story, by taking elements from Macross. Protoculture is still going to play a vital role as an energy source.

***

Chapter 6

'**Out of the Fire'**

October, 2002

***

Putting on her best poker face, Nabiki strode through the doorway into the conference room. Inwardly she was relieved to see that the same people were at the table again this time. Although she did not show it externally, she had been worried that they would have sent a lower level functionary to meet with her this second time. That would have been disastrous, since she doubted that such a bureaucrat would have been willing to disturb their bosses for the ridiculous sounding explanation she was about to give.

Greeting them all, Nabiki sat down in her seat. "I believe I have figured out the source of the confusion."

Before she could continue, Dr. Wiget spoke up. "Mr. Saotome has revealed the location of the 'cell energizer?"

"That is not what I was going to say." Nabiki looked over and responded. "There is no mysterious alien technology involved here."

"Of course there is, what other explanation could there be, magic?" Dr. Jordache chuckled.

"Close, but not quite," Nabiki rejoined, with a small grin. "What is involved here is a practical application of spiritual energy. This energy can be tapped and controlled by only a very few of the premier masters in the world. I have personally known five such individuals who can manifest their ki in a controlled manner. Of them, Ranma is one of the best."

The table virtually erupted in laughing, interspersed with derisive statements. Wincing, Nabiki just waited until they settled down again. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed that even the guards were amused.

"Spiritual energy! You expect us to believe this load of bull?" Major Dietrich scoffed.

"If I may continue with my explanation, I think you will find it very interesting," Nabiki urged.

Dr. Lang had a strange look in his eyes as he looked at Dr. Jordache and nodded.

"Very well," The younger doctor stated, "I haven't had a good laugh in a while."

"Thank you. I think that by the time we are finished, you will all be much more receptive to my view of this as a misunderstanding," Nabiki proclaimed. "To begin this tale, I am going to have to give you a short history lesson of my life since Ranma Saotome entered into it."

The Tendo daughter launched into a brief history of the past several years. She briefly touched on most of the highlights, though she decided to leave out mentioning Ranma's curse until later, it would be a showstopper in person.

She talked about her first meeting with Ranma, how he was a young, rude, undereducated and yet amazingly talented teen. She mentioned his engagement to her sister Akane, as well as the other fiancées that his father had arranged. Nabiki dedicated several minutes describing Ranma rivals, then talked about the old ghoul and the pervert. She covered the various times Akane had been kidnapped and Ranma's repeated rescues of her little sister. Finally she mentioned how Akane had been killed by the Chinese and how in return Ranma and she had chased them to their rural village in China. Finally she mentioned how the two of them ended up on South Ataria Island, both striving to find peace and safety."

"My family has been involved in martial arts for several generations and I have had the opportunities to meet and watch some of the highly trained fighters coming out of Tokyo's best dojos. Ranma puts them all to shame. On his own, after seeing the ki attack that one of his rivals learned from someone else, Ranma developed his own ki attack to counter it," Nabiki continued.

"Before Ranma and his father arrived, I had never really believed in ki myself. Sure I had heard all about it growing up, how ancient masters could use their ki as a tool or weapon, but I didn't really believe. That all changed when Genma showed up at our doorstep with Ranma in tow."

"I have never heard of anyone with as much raw potential and talent as Ranma. The few times he has faced opponents that were more powerful than him, he always managed to develop ways to defeat them in the end. He could learn an opponent's moves just by watching, then practicing on his own later he would incorporate their skills into his own repertoire."

"I don't know how much you have heard about ki, so let me give you a short explanation. Ki is the internal energy running through every living thing. As you described protoculture earlier, think of ki as a bio-energy. For the vast majority of us, ki is simply there, it does it's job and we live and function as normal people."

"For some though, the rare few who are both highly trained and dedicated to the art or to spiritual study, this is just the beginning. It is possible for a person to tap their ki and over time, mold it to run more efficiently through their body allowing them to live longer lives or to increase their rate of healing when injured. They can send additional amounts of it to different parts of the body to increase speed, strength or durability. Some spiritual experts can use their ki to contain and control evil spirits, or to see glimpses of the future. The normal limit for the top tier of martial artists is an increase to their speed, they can hit harder and absorb incredible amounts of punishment, and then heal much faster than a normal person."

"There is a level higher than that though, one that only a dedicated few have ever reached. These martial artist can do the unimaginable. I have personally seen Ranma form a coherent ball of ki in his hands, then send that ball of bio-energy flying through the air to attack an opponent. There is an old pervert who I know can create a ki form of himself that towers in the air and there are many other techniques out there. I believe that Ranma is capable of most of them." She emphatically asserted.

"So you see, the bio-energy readings that your sensitive sensors picked up were not the signs of a protoculture-cell energizer. Instead, it was Ranma attempting to develop a new technique to allow him to affect the ki flows around him, rather than being limited to using the energy inside of him." Nabiki settled back in her chair to see what would happen.

The others looked at her for a few moments then turned and looked at each other. There was a glimmer of a smile on several faces, but that was to be expected. The only response that confused her was Dr. Lang, he simply sat there with an odd half-smile on his face.

"Well Miss Tendo, that was a very entertaining story. I must say that I have not heard such a load of dung since the last time I went to a class reunion, but it was very entertaining." Lieutenant Colonel Mandrake didn't bother hiding the smile as he spoke up.

"Yes, it was a fascinating tale Miss Tendo, maybe you should write a book. However, we still must insist on hearing the truth and discovering the whereabouts of the device." Dr. Wiget also grinned.

The others at the table nodded in agreement.

"Well, I suppose I did not really expect you to believe me without any proof." Nabiki shrugged. "Why don't we just have Ranma give you a little demonstration? You can set up whatever sensors you want and watch him do the things that I told you about."

"Yeah right, and I suppose you'll just have to both go back to your apartment to prepare, won't you? Well we are not letting either of you out of our sight for one second." The Major responded.

Grinning, Nabiki shook her hear, "Why Major Dietrich, I almost believe you do not trust me. No matter, nothing from the apartment is needed. Ranma can perform his skills with just his own two hands. Well, his feet too, for some of them."

Dr. Lang stirred, "Dr. Wiget, would you and Robert prepare a room for the demonstration?"

"Sir, are you saying you actually believe this load of bull?" Dr. Jordache appeared shocked as he looked at his mentor.

"Robert, there are many things in this world that cannot be explained by science. Let me just say I have a feeling about this and leave it at that." Dr. Lang smiled fondly at the younger scientist. Turning to Nabiki, he continued. "Miss Tendo, are you sure there is nothing that Mr. Saotome will need for his demonstration?"

Nabiki thought for a second. "Well, I suppose a large open space would be best, and some targets for him to attack would probably be a good thing. Wooden boards or cement blocks will work, though if you have practice dummies, those would probably be perfect, maybe a thick wooden or steel beam. Also your own sensors and recording equipment, of course."

"Well then, I must say I am looking forward to this demonstration, shall we go prepare?" Dr. Lang stated as he stood up to leave the room.

***

Ranma wasn't too sure about what Nabiki had in mind, but when she told him that he had to put on a martial arts demonstration for the UN, he was willing and able.

She explained to him that his ki techniques were confusing the scientific equipment and that they wanted him to demonstrate his abilities before they would believe that he was telling the truth about not having alien equipment and that he was not a spy.

"Let them use their equipment to scan you while you are performing you ki abilities." Nabiki enthusiastically prodded him.

"So this was all just a big misunderstanding about my new ki techniques?" He inquired.

"Yes, so you need to show them your abilities, that way they can see that their sensors are picking up the same readings that confused them before. Fire off a ki ball, and do some of the old pervert's tricks. Maybe do that splitting-cat-hair thing that the ghoul used. I'll explain things to them as you perform."

Ranma looked pained for a moment at the thought of the callous old witch from the Joketsuzoku. "Sure Nabiki, piece of cake. I won't be able to perform my new techniques though, I'm still working on them and I need to be outside near the natural ki to try. There is something about this ship though, it almost seems to have it's own ki."

***

Ranma obeyed without a word when the guards insisted that he change his clothing for a set of utilitarian sweats that they provided. Then he waited patiently as they took him around and put him into or next to various machines. They told him it was to make sure he wasn't hiding some advanced technology on or even in his body. The only device that he recognized was the X-Ray machine, the rest he didn't have a clue about.

Finally they escorted him into a large gymnasium sized room. Nabiki was already present, standing near several scientists and military personnel.

"Ok Saotome, give them a show that'll knock their socks off." The Tendo daughter cheered.

Stopping in front of the small group, Ranma decided to see if there were any requests. "Nabiki told me that she informed you of my talents. Does anyone have a specific request they would like to see first?"

Dr. Lang nodded, "If you wouldn't mind making your aura visible, I feel that would be a wonderful place to start."

"Sure thing Doc." Ranma focused for an instant, suddenly a translucent blue aura surrounded the youth.

***

The reactions of the watching audience were everything that Nabiki had hoped for. Doctors Jordache and Wiget were frantically checking their instruments while the Marine officers were standing with dropped jaws. Still, the lack of reaction from Dr. Lang, except for maybe a slight widening of his smile, disturbed her a little.

"That's impossible! According to these readings, there actually is a faint bio-energy reading coming from him." Dr. Jordache waved his hands at the screen, then pointed towards Ranma. "But we checked for any signs of technology on him, or even in him. How is he doing that?"

"What you see before you is a practical application of ki, achievable by only a rare few of the best and most dedicated martial artists. The color of the aura actually represents the dominant emotion that the martial artist feels, in Ranma's case, it is his overwhelming confidence. Other colors I have witnessed include red for anger, and yellow for depression combined with hatred." Nabiki narrated for the awestruck audience.

Nabiki pointed to a nearby punching bag, with a high-speed camera set up next to it. "Ranma, please use your chestnut fist on that punching bag and make sure the camera has a clear shot of your hands."

They watched as Ranma strode over to the target and set himself near the camera. "Kachū Tenshin Amaguriken" The target was pummeled by over three hundred blows per second, after lasting for nearly five seconds, the punching bag disintegrated.

The technician monitoring the camera was quickly instructed to replay the action in slow-motion on a nearby monitor. As they watched his fists hit the target hundreds of times per second, the watching crowd was full of dazed whispers.

"As you can see, Ranma's chestnut fist is a rapid-punch technique; it delivers hundreds of punches to a target in the space of a few seconds. Ki is being used here to increase the speed of his blows as well as to reinforce the structure of his arms to withstand the forces involved with moving that velocity." Nabiki's narration was done in her most convincing and enthusiastic sales manner.

"Have your cameras focus on his head please, though you might want to have them zoom out a bit. Ranma, can you do daddy's demon-head technique?"

Ranma rolled his eyes, "Yeah, bit of a useless one, but I suppose it could be fun at parties or somethin'."

After making sure that the cameras were set, Ranma focused for a second, then suddenly his head was replaced by an image of a demon's head with a long forked tongue. The new head looked to be about five times too large for his body, but it moved like a normal head as he turned it side to side.

"How's this, Nabiki?" His voice was slightly deeper as well, with some unusual undertones. As he spoke, the forked tongue extended several feet and writhed sinuously through the air.

There was a sudden clatter to the side as one of the technicians fainted, knocking over a small pile of containers.

"Yes, that is very good, Saotome." Nabiki continued her clarifications. "The use of ki here is the manifestation of an illusion that is centered around the user's head. As you can see, the effect of the illusion is complete, the eyes are fooled as well as any visual recording equipment."

Picking up a screwdriver sitting on the table, Nabiki walked over and poked the demonic head, which promptly diappeared with a slight pop.

As Ranma's head returned to normal, the stunned group of scientists and soldiers just stood there gaping.

Chuckling, Nabiki gestured in the direction of the fallen technician. "Though this technique might be considered by some to be less than useful whilst in combat, there are obvious benefits to it in psychological warfare."

***

After everybody was recovered, Nabiki walked over to a pair of small tables with a short steel beam hanging between them. "Ranma, in a moment, I would like you to use the breaking point on this steel beam."

Turning back to the scientists, "You see, ki flows through everything that is alive, but in can also be used to affect non-living items. In this case, I will have Ranma demonstrate a technique that will destroy this steel beam with little visible effort. I recommend that everyone stands in a safe place through, as this technique can sometimes be dangerous to people standing too close."

"Go ahead, Ranma."

Pointing his finger, Ranma jabbed the beam in a specific point on one side. "Baku-sai-ten-ketsu" The explosion was not very loud, but the clanging on the pieces of metal as they showered the nearby floor and walls was very noticeable.

"Is everyone alright? Thank you Ranma, that was perfect."

Directing Ranma and the others over to a nearby row of practice dummies, Nabiki was ready to move on to the more impressive examples of ki. "The next demonstration will probably cause your sensors to react even more than his battle aura did. Ranma, please fire a ki blast at the target on the left."

"Sure Nabs, no problem." Ranma was getting more comfortable with the demonstration and it showed in his response. Nabiki frowned slightly, but decided she would deal with his referring to her in that manner at a more appropriate time.

Positioning himself where they had a good view of his hands, Ranma focused on his target and his absolute confidence that he could destroy it. A blue glow started to appear between his hands. "Moko Takabisha" Shooting from his hands, the shimmering ball of ki flew unerringly downrange to the specified target, blowing a foot wide hole clear through the torso.

"Holy Crap!" Dr. Wiget couldn't prevent her outburst. "What the heck was that?" Running over to the monitor screens, she quickly called up the sensor readouts. "Unbelievable, he actually generated a coherent energy beam. According to this, that was a charged particle beam. Extremely low power output, but it was definitely a charged particle beam. We haven't even been able to make a practical working one of those!"

Dr. Jordache meanwhile went down to take a look at the destroyed target. "It may have been _extremely low power_ but it still went clean through the target. Fascinating though, the wall behind the target merely has some light scorch marks on it."

"Truly astounding talent Mr. Saotome, what else do you have in store for us?" Dr. Lang's enigmatic smile was really starting to irritate Nabiki's. It was if he already knew what Ranma was capable of and Nabiki preferred to control the flow of information when she was in the middle of a sales pitch.

"Well, as you saw, that was one of Ranma's direct ki attacks. If you are ready, I think that there is one other one that he can use in this enclosed space."

Nabiki walked closer to the martial artist. "I want you to use your father's vacuum blade attack on the other practice dummy. Before you argue that you sealed it, remember you already used your father's Umi-sen-ken, so you might as well use this one too. I want them even more impressed than they are right now."

Ranma looked at the target for a while, then at Nabiki. "Yeah, I suppose I can do that."

"Lady and gentlemen, this next ki maneuver is another distance attack, unlike the last one though, this may not register on your scanners, I am not sure. Frankly though, this is a far more dangerous attack than his last one."

The assembled audience looked eager to see what else the teen boy could do, so Nabiki simply nodded to Ranma. "Go ahead."

This time Ranma seemed to hesitate for a few seconds, finally he shrugged. Taking a step forward and swinging his arms out wide he shouted, "Kijin Raishu Dan!"

Nearly instantaneously, the target at the other end of the room fell in half.

"What just happened?"

"I didn't see anything."

"What did he do?"

"Did the instruments pick anything up?"

The group watching them split up, some of them walked down to look at the target, the rest rushed over to the monitoring equipment.

"According to these readings, there was a pair of very short-lived particle pulses that formed and then faded away. The pulses did not move down to the target though, they formed near Mr. Saotome and moved a few feet as he swung his arms out."

Carrying the top half of the target, Dr. Jordache and Major Dietrich walked up to the other group. "Look at this cut, it's as if it was made by a very sharp sword or maybe even a scalpel. There was also a deep gouge in the wall behind the target."

While they were all talking, Nabiki went over to one of the monitoring technicians. Pointing at an unopened bottle of water next to him, she smiled and asked, "May I please? I could really use some water right now, all this talking has made me very thirsty."

"Sure Miss, go ahead." The technician grinned, "Your friend is amazing, and I've never seen anything like it before."

"Thank you very much."

Taking a sip of water, Nabiki wandered back over to the others to wait for them to finish. After a few more minutes of talking amongst themselves, they seemed to remember what they were doing and turned to watch whatever else the pigtailed teen had in store.

Waving to get Ranma to come closer, she made sure that he was positioned in front of a nearby camera.

"Thank you for allowing us to put on this demonstration for you. It isn't often that Ranma gets a chance to perform in front of such august personages as yourselves. I am sure he would agree that it is much more pleasant to perform these techniques in a controlled environment like this, instead of in a fight against other martial artists."

Nabiki bowed to the scientists and officers, and then turned and gave a short bow to Ranma. "While Ranma has many more abilities, there is only one more thing I would like to show you all today. Dr. Jordache, didn't you say something earlier, about magic?"

The doctor gazed back at her with a chagrinned smile, "Yes and I am sorry for the comment. What your partner has shown us was incredible."

"Thank you doctor, but don't feel too badly, for Ranma can indeed perform a small bit of magic as well." Turning back to Ranma, she saw him eyeing the water bottle in her hand.

"Nabiki, do ya have to?"

"Yes, now stand still so the cameras can record everything, this is the big finale."

As she upended the bottle over Ranma's head, she looked over to the others. At first they seemed confused about why she would dump water on his head. Then his hair turned red as he shrunk by at least a foot, and he gained a pair of very obvious breasts in his now-damp shirt.

"Oh my goodness!" Dr. Jordache took a step closer.

Even Dr. Lang seemed surprised, if his open mouth was anything to go by.

The officers just stared at the unknown redhead, waiting for one of the scientists to come up with an explanation.

Dr. Wiget rushed over to Ranma-chan. "This isn't possible, it must be another illusion, right?" Reaching out, she passed her hand back and forth above Ranma-chan's head, then she poked the redhead in the chest several times. "But these are real. What? How? Who?"

"Relax Dr. Wiget and I will explain it all to you." Nabiki had a broad smile on her face, this was perfect. "Perhaps we could adjourn to someplace with more comfortable seating?"

Nodding, Dr. Lang gathered up the group and led them to a nearby conference room.

"What was that, who is this girl?"

"Ah yes, I would like to introduce you all to Ranma-chan. I know you haven't had the opportunity to meet her yet. As to what happened, I will try explain that in a little while. Suffice it to say, this is still Ranma, he has a magical curse that turns him into a girl when he comes into contact with cold water. As you might guess, hot water will turn him back into a male."

"I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it with my own eyes. Is the change complete? I mean, does his.. her.. um." Lt. Colonel Mandrake trailed off at the end.

Nabiki laughed for a second before nodding. "Yes, our family doctor has performed several full physicals on Miss Saotome, in this form she is fully female."

Ranma scowled at Nabiki's choice of words, finally crossing her arms and turning her head away with a huff.

"Amazing" The general consensus of the room seemed to agree with the officer's opinion.

"Can you go into more detail about how young Ranma is capable of doing all of this?" Dr. Lang's enigmatic smile was back.

"Before we go any further with explanations, I would like to ask if you all still believe that Ranma has stolen alien technology or is involved in espionage. I would like to hope that our demonstration has been sufficient to convince you otherwise."

As the scientists and officers looked at one another, Nabiki could tell that they were hesitant to admit anything, but finally a couple of them reluctantly nodded their heads. "With the weight of evidence on his side, Mr. Saotome must be considered innocent."

Dr. Lang raised a hand, "I would like the opportunity to study Mr. Saotome, this is a unique opportunity to learn more about how protoculture might be used. If it can be controlled in a manner similar to how Mr. Saotome controls his ki, that could provide us with a tremendous breakthrough."

The other scientists enthusiastically agreed with their mentor. "Yes! I want to understand how he did all of that, we can't just let him go!" Dr. Jordache was the most vocal.

Straightening up in her chair, Nabiki put on her best business face. "We are Japanese citizens. I'm afraid that you can't just hold us prisoner, you can deport us from the island of course, but that is not in anyone's best interest. Ranma and I want to stay on the island and remain on the good side of the UN. Perhaps we come to a mutually beneficial business arrangement?"

"What sort of business arrangement?"

"I propose that you hire…" Pausing, Nabiki struggled to come up with a name, finally resorting to the easiest. "Hire the Tendo-Saotome Consulting Firm, specializing in Protoculture Manipulation & Control."

"We do employ many consultants, it is an elegant solution, young miss." Dr. Lang's agreement encouraged Nabiki.

"I think you will find our prices are very reasonable, whatever the standard contracting fees are for specialists." Nabiki then went for her true goal.

"We may need a few favors though. When we first came to the island, we intended to open a martial arts dojo. Unfortunately the paperwork to allow us to build and run the dojo has been held up somewhere. If you could arrange for our authorization to be completed, then we could finish our original plans."

"That sounds reasonable, I am sure that we can pay Mr. Saotome a sensible fee. As you are not a ki expert, I don't think we can pay you though, Miss Tendo. I understand you already have a job, and since you are also planning on running a dojo I am sure you will be plenty busy.."

I understand doctor, as Ranma's agent my fee will come out of his paycheck in any case."

Dr. Lang nodded, knowingly.

Warming back up to her subject, Nabiki continued with the negotiations. "Would it be possilble that the Tendo-Saotome Dojo could be made an official UN sanctioned civilian contractor for military training?"

"That is also a reasonable request."

"I know that Ranma has been forced to train on the beach and other locations, maybe he could be allowed access to the military training facilities?"

"Colonel Mandrake?"

"I don't see any harm in that. He can use the Marine facilities, as long as he doesn't cause trouble or interrupt the training of my men."

Everything was going perfectly, Nabiki was pleased with her success so far.

"Unfortunately, after the very public arrest of us earlier, I don't believe either of us would be comfortable returning to our apartment. Our neighbors would not understand what happened and would look on us with suspicion. Perhaps we could get a new residence on base? That would allow you to have easier access to Ranma, in case there are questions or tests you would like him to perform outside of the normal business hours."

"Let me look into that, there may be a place you can stay."

"Wonderful. Finally I would like a government car for me to use to get to work."

Chuckling, Dr. Lang shook his head. "Not a chance of that happening, Miss Tendo."

"Oh well, it was worth a shot." Grinning, Nabiki was satisfied with the arrangements. "Perhaps we can get the contracts drawn up and signed?" Finally she could relax, their future was secure.

***

As the UN legal team handed her the documents to look over, Nabiki glanced at Ranma and wasn't surprised to find him half asleep. Shaking her head she continued reading.

When she finished, Nabiki nodded and turned to Dr. Wiget, the only member of the original group still present. The others had returned to their normal duties, leaving her to represent them.

"Well, this looks in order. By signing this, Tendo-Saotome Consulting will contract with the UN Robotech Development Team for the express purpose of furthering the understanding of Protoculture. Ranma will do everything he can to help you understand how ki is manipulated and controlled, submitting to whatever tests you guys deem necessary. In return, we will be provided with housing and access to base facilities, monetary compensation for Ranma, and finally the construction and opening of the dojo will be expedited and it will be named an official UN recommended training resource."

"That sounds correct. Shall we sign, Miss Tendo?"

"Indeed."

After the two of them finished executing the contract and turned it back over to the legal team to take care of, Nabiki smiled at the other woman. "I think I am going to like working with your group Dr. Wiget, you are efficient professionals. That is heartbreakingly rare in today's world."

"Thank you, now that we are to be working together, my name is Gina."

Thank you Gina, please call me Nabiki." They both grinned and shook hands.

"If I can wake up sleeping beauty over there, do you think you could arrange for us to get home? Ranma and I should get some sleep, tomorrow is going to be a busy day."

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If you have any questions comments or concerns, please post a review.

Thanks to my beta Demonlord87.

If anyone with strong knowledge of the Robotech or even the Macross universe would like to be a beta reader, I would appreciate it. I have some ideas that I want to use, but I would like someone to bounce them off of first.

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Till next time,

Queberjeque


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